Prophets for Dummies: The Guide to Everything Supernatural
by forever21lupus
Summary: How does a quirky med-student end up with everybody's favorite monster-slaying brothers? When you're a prophet, anything is possible. Danielle Samson is unceremoniously dumped into the Winchester life without even so much as training wheels to guide her. Cas/OC
1. Chapter 1

**So, I wanted to share with y'all what I've been working on lately. I just caught up with all the episodes, and I'm SO depressed. This is my favorite TV show by far. I'm so excited to write and share this. Tell me what you guys think! If you like it, I'll keep posting!**

* * *

Preface

All Good Things Come To An End

Danielle stepped out of the lecture hall, getting swallowed by - yet another - sympathy hug. She tried not to sigh; this was getting old. People she'd never even talked to before were telling her things like 'I'm here if you ever need me!' Yeah, right.

Danielle headed towards her car, her keys dangling in her hands. She only took a few steps before spotting the two FBI agents from the other day. Danielle froze, swallowing nervously. She stood there, waiting for everyone else to leave before reluctantly approaching the two boys.

"Hi," she greeted, careful to avoid their gazes.

"Hey, Danielle. Can we talk?" asked "Agent Tyler". AKA Sam. Danielle nodded, anxiously fingering her keys. "In private."

Danielle swallowed but nodded anyways, turning and leading the way into the lecture hall, just like she'd done in the dream. She turned around, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "I know you're here to kill me," she stated.

Sam and Dean shared a surprised look. "You can drop the cutesy little Southern belle act then," Dean barked.

The corner of Danielle's lips twitched up for a second. "'S not an act. Why are you trying to kill me?"

The boys frowned at each other, their brows furrowing. "You're a witch...bitch," Dean added proudly, smirking at his own joke. He glanced at Sam, glowering again when he saw his brother's straight face.

"A...witch?" Danielle asked, her jaw dropping. She unfolded her arms, fisting her hands in her shirt. "They don't exist!"

Dean chuckled humorlessly, shaking his head. "That won't work with us." He pulled out his gun, clicking off his safety.

Danielle took a step back, holding up her hands. "No, wait, please."

Dean held up the gun and pointed the barrel at the girl's heart. The whole room started trembling. Danielle clutched onto the nearest chair, moaning 'No' over and over again. Light started shining through the windows, though it was late into the night. The shaking increased in intensity, various objects on the walls crashing down.

"Put the gun down, Dean!"

Danielle looked up to see the blurred form of the man in the trench coat behind the two boys. "Stop, please!" she begged, not sure what creature was about to come, but knowing it was not coming to do good.

"She's a prophet, Dean!"

* * *

26 Hours Earlier

"Dean, get out here," Sam barked, turning the volume up on the T.V.

Dean stepped out of the bathroom, toothbrush dangling from his mouth as he shrugged into his button up shirt. "The hell is it so cold in here?" he demanded.

"Shut up and listen," Sam ordered, narrowing his eyes at the news program.

The woman was crisp and pristine, with blonde hair pulled back into a perfectly curled ponytail. "In other news, a student at Duke University has fallen victim to a deadly prank." A picture of a pretty blonde appeared next to the anchorwoman. "Addison Charles, 28, was meeting her best friend in one of the University's science labs when it exploded. The whole room was destroyed save for the area where the friend was standing."

Sam glanced up at Dean, raising his eyebrows. "Sounds like our kinda thing."

Dean grimaced. "Yeah. Definitely."

"Duke it is, then."

* * *

Sam and Dean - rather, Special Agents Tyler and Perry - walked with the sheriff up to the destroyed building. Whatever was left of the walls were charred and crumbling, and glass and other debris was scattered all around the area. Students walking by couldn't resist stopping and staring, even though the incident had occurred almost two days ago. They stepped up to the building, peering at the scorched foundation. Tables were piles of ashes, and other various items were broken and laying around.

"A bomb did this?" Sam asked.

The policeman sighed, scratching the back of his head. "That's what the report says but..."

"But?" Dean urged.

"What the hell kind of bomb do you know that does _that_?" The sheriff pointed, and Sam and Dean followed his gaze.

A little four-by-four area was perfectly untouched. The area was immaculate, from the sparkling white tile to the anatomy poster hanging on the wall.

"What the hell?" Dean muttered, stepping over the ruins of the walls and walking around the room.

"Exactly. That's where the other girl was standing."

"What was her name?" Sam asked.

"Danielle Samson," the policeman answered, grimacing. "A great student; good kid. This really shook her up."

"We're gonna need her address," Sam said.

"Yeah, sure." The policeman quickly scribbled it down on the back of his business card, handing it to Sam. "Good luck. She's not saying much and, what she does say, doesn't make a lick of sense." The sheriff nodded before going over to talk with one of his deputies.

"Huh," Dean called from across the room, sniffing some of the powder on his finger.

"What is it?" Sam asked.

Dean glanced at him, waving his yellow-dusted finger in the air. "Sulfur."

* * *

Sam and Dean knocked on the apartment door. They only had to wait a few seconds before a frazzled older woman opened the door, staring at them. "Yes?"

"Um, we're Agents Tyler and Perry. We're here to talk to Danielle Samson."

"Tyler Perry?" the woman questioned sardonically, cocking an eyebrow.

"Yes. Funny coincidence," Dean stated.

"We've already talked to the police, sorry." The woman started to close the door before a much quieter voice stopped her.

"Mom, just let them in."

The woman glanced over her shoulder before finally opening the door and stepping back.

Sam and Dean stepped into the small apartment, the counters covered with flowers and casseroles. A beautiful girl stood in the kitchen next to an older man, both watching Sam and Dean.

"Danielle?" Sam asked, furrowing his brow at the girl. She was still a teenager.

"I'm her sister, Sophie. She's in there."

Sam and Dean walked into the living room, where a pretty brunette was sitting on a couch. She had a blanket wrapped around her, and her brown eyes were puffy and red. She looked up at them, her eyes growing huge in shock before she looked away, recomposing herself.

"Special agents?" she questioned. "Like the FBI? That's pretty cool."

"Well, there are perks," Dean stated.

"Sit down wherever," the mother said, sitting next to Danielle on the couch.

"Danielle, can you tell us everything that happened?" Sam questioned, sitting in a wooden chair next to Dean.

"I don't understand; don't you already know?" the mother demanded.

"Mom," Danielle warned.

"We just want to cover all the bases."

"Well-"

"Why don't you go get some lunch," Danielle offered, sending a pointed glance towards her mom. "Take Dad and Sophie." Her mother wasn't happy, but she complied, leaving the brothers alone with Danielle.

"Sorry, she doesn't want me to get laughed at," Danielle apologized, shaking her head.

"Why would you get laughed at?" Sam questioned.

"Nobody believes me," the brunette warned, glancing up at the two of them.

"We're a little more...open-minded," Dean responded. "Just start from the beginning."

"Well, Addy called me wanting to meet up at the lab to study for the test coming up in Adolescent Medicine. I got there first; she's always running late. I only waited for like a minute before she showed up.

"She was acting really ... weird. Like ... I don't really know how to explain it," Danielle sighed in frustration, her brow furrowed.

"Like she wasn't herself?" Sam offered.

"I guess. But then ... It all happened so fast." Danielle's eyes started tearing up, and she looked down, picking at a thread in her blanket. "The whole room started shaking, and then light started shining through the windows, even though it was nighttime. Things started breaking and flying around the room, and then Addy was screaming and then everything just ... exploded."

Danielle brought a hand to her face, closing her eyes and taking a ragged breath. "I'm sorry; give me a second." She walked into her bedroom, shutting the door behind her.

Quickly, Dean uncapped the vial of holy water he had and poured it into her glass of water sitting on the coffee table. He screwed the lid back on and was putting it in his pocket just as she came back out, wiping at her cheeks.

She sat down, and the boys watched intently as she drank from the glass. She set it back down, and the boys shared a glance. If she wasn't a demon...

"We're sorry for your loss," Sam apologized. "Did you see anything? Anything at all?"

Danielle frowned, avoiding their gazes. "No, the light was too bright."

"Danielle," Sam urged. "You can tell us."

She glanced up at them, grimacing. "It was hard to see; it was like looking at the sun but ... I swear, I saw a ... a wing."

* * *

"So, if Danielle wasn't the demon, it had to have been Addison," Dean stated.

"But what protected Danielle from the demon?" Sam asked, scratching his head and looking around their motel room in frustration.

"Lights, explosions, wings? Maybe she's got a guardian angel," Dean joked, tossing his brother a beer.

"But why her? What makes her so special?"

"Have you found anything on her?" Dean questioned, leaning over Sam's shoulder and examining the laptop screen.

"No. She's squeaky clean. She's so clean she makes clean look dirty," Sam answered, shaking his head. "Church every Sunday, animal shelters on Saturdays, AP classes and babysitting in between. I mean, she's the Queen of Goodie-Goodie's."

"Yeah, when have we ever met an actual Goodie-Goodie?" Dean sat down on the bed, swishing his beer around.

"So, a witch then, maybe?"

"Maybe," Dean responded. "We'll just have to go back and check for hex bags."

* * *

"Do you think her parents are in on it?" Sam asked.

"We don't want to make any assumptions," Dean stated, staring at Danielle's apartment building.

Sam cocked an eyebrow. "Since when do you ask questions first?"

"We just want to be sure before we go in there, guns blazing. We need to come up with an excuse to look for hex bags, that's all."

"Her family went to the airport this morning, when you went to get breakfast."

Dean turned his incredulous gaze on his brother. "And you waited four hours to tell me?" he demanded.

Sam just shrugged. "It's not like it was that important at the time! We still have to wait for Danielle to leave, anyhow."

"Wait," Dean stated, sitting up. He took the binoculars from Sam and pointed them at the small woman leaving the building.

"Is that her?" Sam asked, squinting at the curly-haired brunette wearing scrubs.

"Yeah," Dean answered, waiting for her car to pull out of the parking lot. As soon as she was gone, the two boys jumped out of the Impala and walked to her door.

"Try the mat," Dean stated after failing to turn the doorknob.

"Not there." Sam reached up, running his fingers along the top of the doorframe. He felt nothing other than dust. Dean spotted a potted plant at the end of the hall. He went over, digging through the dirt and finally closing his fingers around the key.

"That could be anybody's," Sam retorted.

"Maybe that's what she's counting on," Dean said, tossing him the key. Sam tried the key, surprised that it actually worked. They eased into the apartment, closing the door behind them.

"I'll check the living room," Sam said.

"Yeah." Dean went into the bedroom, searching through the drawers. He tried to put everything back in the place it first was, so she wouldn't suspect anything. He peeked under her bed, catching sight of a box. "Bingo," he muttered, pulling it out. He opened it up, whistling at the black occult objects.

"One under the couch, one in the bookshelf," Sam stated, tossing up the hex bags.

"Look at this," Dean added, showing his brother the box.

"Looks like she's our girl," Sam said, pocketing the bags.

The boys got her class schedule from the police station and immediately headed to the University campus. It was late in the night by the time they parked outside her last class's lecture hall. They leaned up against their car, so she would see them as soon as she left the building.

"So what's the game plan?" Sam asked, sticking his hands deep in his coat pockets. "Just lure her somewhere private, and shoot her?"

"Any other option?" Dean responded, checking his gun.

"Guess not," Sam sighed.

* * *

"A what?!" Dean bellowed as a sharp, piercing noise began echoing throughout the room. Sam reached over, snatching the gun away from his brother. He threw it on the ground, clutching onto Dean.

Just like that, the shaking stopped. The noise died away, and the light faded until it was night again. The absence of the ringing caused the silence to be deafening.

Danielle's legs were trembling so badly she collapsed into the nearest chair, clutching onto the armrest until her knuckles were white. Her face as pale as a sheet, she turned her auburn eyes on the men.

"Even if I was a witch, you couldn't kill me. That...thing won't let you."

"That was an archangel," trench coat stated, stepping forward.

Danielle's jaw dropped, and goosebumps exploded over her skin. "You mean... Like G-Gabriel?"

The man nodded, once. "Yes."

"What in the hell did you say she was?" Dean demanded.

"A Prophet of the Lord." Danielle moaned, cupping her face with her hands.

She was exhausted. Maybe this was all another one of her dreams. "I am not Moses."

"No, you are Danielle," trench coat answered, confused. "Another form of the name Daniel, the-"

"Dream interpreter," Danielle interrupted. "I know my Bible stories. This is too much," she whispered, shaking her head.

"If she's a prophet, how come she didn't know she was?" Sam asked. "Didn't you know this was going to happen?"

"I had a dream," she answered faintly. "But it ended with the...archangel coming."

"So you knew about us?" Dean questioned.

"Yes. Agents Tyler Perry," she joked softly, smirking slightly. Her smile fell, and she gripped the armrest tighter. "Why did Addison try to kill me?" she asked, tears dripping from her eyes.

"That wasn't Addison," Sam stated. "That was a demon."

Danielle just faintly nodded, wiping her cheeks.

"What are you?" she asked, looking up at trench coat. She'd dreamt about him; she'd seen the things he was capable of. She just didn't understand.

"I'm an Angel of the Lord." Danielle's eyes widened, and she rose to her feet. "Lord have mercy," she breathed, reaching up and cupping her mouth. Her hand fell back to her side, and a smile spread across her face. "This is crazy."

"What, no 'You're crazy' speech?" Dean asked, cocking an eyebrow. "No running away, no screaming?"

"I've believed in angels and demons since I was born," Danielle answered. "I've just never met one before."

"Well, that makes our job a little easier," Sam joked.

"You two are hunters...right? You hunt... Creatures."

"Monsters," Dean corrected. "Vampires, witches, demons. The whole nine yards."

"All of that exists too?" Danielle questioned. She shook her head, framing her face with her hand. "Wow."

"I must go. It was an honor to meet you."

Danielle gaped at the angel. "Um, no, it was an honor meeting you..."

"Castiel," he answered before he disappeared.

Danielle jumped, glancing around the room to verify that he really had just vanished. "Does he... Does he always do that?" she asked, her brow furrowed.

"It's a habit," Dean answered.

She nodded, chocolate waves bouncing. "So what do we do now?"

"We hit the road," Sam responded. "Get outta dodge."

"What about me?" Danielle questioned.

Dean shrugged. "Stay here. Buckle up. Finish school. Be ready in case we ever need you."

"Call us if you ever need anything," Sam said, handing her a business card with their actual phone numbers on it. "Or if something big happens in the future."

Danielle looked stunned, but she took the card anyways. "Bye, then, I guess."

"See you around, Danny," Dean stated.

She nodded at them as the two brothers walked out of the lecture hall, leaving her alone, clutching the fragile piece of paper.

* * *

**Okay that's it! Y'all tell me if you'd like me to keep posting!**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter One: In the Beginning, God Created Demons and Coffee

* * *

"Are you okay?" Danielle asked for the thousandth time.

"What- No, no, I promise I'm fine." Her friend Annie's phone buzzed, making the girl jump nearly out of her skin.

"What is this: Pretty Little Liars? Honestly, what's wrong?" Danielle demanded.

Annie shook her head, the color draining from her face. "I have to go," she said quickly, jumping out of her seat and nearly sprinting out of the Starbucks.

Danielle sighed, dropping her head into her hands. Lately, everyone she's talked to has been acting strangely. Maybe it's a prophet thing, she thought.

A prophet. Still, weeks later, it was just as unbelievable as before. What had she done to deserve her title? Exhausted, Danielle sucked down the disgusting coffee.

A sharp pain reverberated in her head. Danielle groaned, quickly grabbing her wallet and making her way out into the sunlight. The sun, of course, only worsened her growing headache. She clambered into her car, driving recklessly in an attempt to get back to her apartment, where she collapsed on the couch.

* * *

Rochester, Virginia

"Phone," Dean stated blandly, his glazed eyes staring at the TV.

"Yeah, don't strain yourself," Sam retorted, crumpling the shirt in his hands and throwing it at his brother. He walked over to the nightstand, picking up the buzzing cell phone and answering the call. "Yeah?"

"Danielle?" Sam said, making Dean's head swivel around. He picked up the remote, clicking off the television and leaning towards his brother. "Yeah, what's up? ... What?! ... Yeah, we'll be right there."

He dropped the phone on the bed, standing up and emptying the drawers.

"Where are you going?" Dean asked.

"We," Sam corrected. "Are going to Duke. Danielle had another vision."

"About?" Dean urged, agitated that Sam didn't feed him more information.

"She didn't say; just that we needed to hurry."

* * *

"Thanks for coming," Danielle greeted, opening the door to her apartment and waving the brothers inside.

"Are you feeling okay?" Sam questioned, not missing the shadows under her eyes and the pallor of her skin.

"Yeah. I just haven't been sleeping well lately. Living on coffee pretty much. Do you guys want a drink?" she offered, opening the fridge and handing them cokes. She took some coffee for herself.

"So. Your dream?" Dean asked a few minutes later, after they had all gotten settled in.

Danielle frowned deeply, wrapping a blanket tightly around her shoulders. Though it was spring, she wore sweatpants and a hoodie, and her feet donned fuzzy socks. "You aren't going to like it."

"Just tell us," Sam urged.

Danielle looked away. "There's a demon. Her name is Lilith."

"We know about Lilith," Dean responded.

Danielle looked back at them, caramel eyes stretched wide. "She's coming," she whispered.

"What?!" Dean exploded. "When? Where?!"

Danielle flinched, sinking deeper into her blanket. "Please don't yell," she pleaded.

"Lilith is coming; I think I get a chance to yell!" Dean retorted, but he lowered his voice.

"Calm down," Sam ordered. "It's not her fault."

"I'm not sure when, or where, exactly. It was dark, so it must've been night, and it looked like it might have been a hotel room. I'm not sure." Danielle shook her head, trying to sift out the details.

"It's okay, Danielle. You did good," Sam reassured.

She just nodded, glancing up at them. "What are you going to do?"

* * *

"This is the stupidest thing I've ever done," Danielle muttered, shivering in her car. She was sitting in the motel parking lot, waiting for the demon to show up. Dean had gotten into an argument with Sam and had gone AWOL while Sam was still sitting inside his motel room.

Danielle could etch every crack in the wall by memory from staring for so long at the door to Sam's room. Her eyelids were starting to droop, and she could feel herself slipping. She shifted, leaning her head against the back of her seat.

A loud engine jerked her awake, making her eyes snap open. She rubbed her face, watching the old Impala pull into a spot right in front of her.

She clambered out of the car at the same time as Dean, managing to croak the man's name. She cleared her throat and repeated her call.

Dean whirled around. "What are you doing here?!" he demanded.

"I came to help," Danielle answered, jogging up to him. "Is Lilith in there?"

"You were the one watching; you tell me!" Dean snapped as they ran towards the motel door.

"I fell asleep," she admitted, turning the doorknob. "It's locked!"

"Move," he demanded, and she stumbled backwards. Dean kicked the door, and it very nearly flew off its hinges.

Dean pulled his gun out of its holster, jumping into the room. Danielle followed right behind, spotting Lilith straddling Sam on the bed, knife clenched in manicured hands. Chills ran down her spine, and she froze, standing behind Dean in horror.

Almost immediately, the walls started to tremble.

"You have got to be kidding," Lilith growled, rolling her eyes and standing up.

"Sorry, sister. But this girl's gotta archangel tethered to her. You really wanna mess with that?" Dean bellowed over the noise of furniture and glass shattering.

Lilith gritted her teeth before throwing her head back. Thick, black smoke shot out of her mouth, making Danielle flinch and cover her eyes. The smoke billowed out the window, and the room calmed.

Danielle gasped in relief, leaning against the wall.

"You alright, man?" Dean asked, running over and helping Sam up.

Danielle, thinking Dean was talking to her, waved a hand. "Yeah, just-"

"I'm fine," Sam interrupted, making Danielle flush scarlet. Luckily, it didn't seem like either of them noticed. "That was smart, bringing Danielle."

"I wish I could take credit, but that was all her," Dean said. "How did you manage to fall asleep?" he demanded, turning on the frazzled woman. "Sam nearly died!"

"I'm sorry," she muttered. "Like I said..." She glanced at Lilith's body. "Living on coffee."

"Come on; we gotta get outta here," Dean ordered.

Danielle led the two boys in the Impala back to her apartment, where they all gratefully got some rest.

* * *

The bitter sting of disappointment hit Danielle. She frowned, wishing that the boys didn't have to leave so soon. When they weren't trying to kill her or attempting to not be killed be demons, they weren't so bad.

"I guess you're leaving again," she stated, squinting up in the sunlight at the boys.

"Places to be, monsters to kill," Dean joked.

Danielle grinned, putting her hands on her hips. "Well. You could at least text me every so often to let me know you aren't dead."

"If we died, you'd see it," Sam pointed out.

"True," Danielle answered, nodding. She spotted one of her professors walking across the street, waving at him. He glanced at her and ducked his head, walking faster.

She scowled. "What is going on in this stupid place?" she muttered.

"What do you mean?" Dean demanded.

"I don't know. Maybe I'm just being paranoid, but lately it seems like everyone I know is avoiding me."

"You aren't being paranoid."

Danielle shrieked, throwing herself instinctively in between the two brothers, putting them between her and whatever had appeared behind her. She glanced between them, her eyes falling on Castiel. She sighed in relief.

The brothers started laughing, and Danielle rolled her eyes, a blush growing on her cheeks.

"Your friends are being controlled by demons," Castiel stated.

"What?" Danielle questioned, all happiness depleting from her demeanor. "How is that even possible?! What about my archangel?"

"More likely than not, the demons have captured their families and are using them to persuade your friends."

"Wait, so everything I've been telling them, they've been telling demons?" Danielle demanded, running her hands through her hair.

"What have you told your friends, Danielle?" Sam asked.

Danielle shook her head. How did this keep happening? Couldn't the demons just leave her alone? "What do they want from me?"

"You're a prophet," Dean answered. "Who wouldn't kill for someone who could tell the future?"

"We need to help my friends," Danielle said. "That has to be over twenty people who are being tortured by demons. Because of me," she added, frowning and looking at the ground.

"It isn't your fault," Sam reassured. "You didn't ask for this."

"We're gonna need all your friend's names and addresses," Dean said.

Danielle nodded. "Yeah."

"Just text them to us," Dean ordered.

"Yeah, we'll see you later," Sam uttered, smiling down at the girl.

"She has to come with you," Castiel interrupted. "She needs to be protected."

"She has an archangel, Cas," Dean argued. "All we have to do is take care of these demons."

"And what of the others? Because there will be more. No matter what you do, demons will find a way to get to her," Castiel glowered.

"Pessimist," Danielle muttered, making Sam crack a small smile. "And I can't go anyways; I have a life!"

"Come on, man, we got enough to worry about without throwing babysitting into the mix!" Dean barked.

"I'm not stupid," Danielle protested. "I came up with the Lilith plan!"

"Kudos to you," Dean sneered.

Danielle's jaw dropped at his crudeness, and she crossed her arms. "Whatever. I have school!"

"You will bring harm and death to everyone that knows you," Castiel warned.

Danielle's heart clenched, and her arms fell to her sides. She suddenly went pale as a sheet, and her hands started trembling. "Oh my..."

"Danielle, what's wrong?" Sam asked.

"My family..." she breathed. "Oh my gosh. Is it...?" She glanced up at Castiel, hoping the angel would have some information. "Are they...?"

"I do not know," Castiel answered.

Danielle put a trembling hand over her heart, closing her eyes and shaking her head.

"Where's your family at?" demanded Dean.

"Paradise, Tennessee," she responded.

* * *

A touch from Castiel was all they needed to be teleported into Tennessee. The boys spun around in confusion, trying to get a grip on their bearings, but Danielle took off down the street in the small neighborhood in a panic.

She sprinted up the driveway, skidding to a stop in front of the red-brick house's glass front door, banging on the door. She couldn't see anything out of the ordinary, but she still frantically tried to get inside.

"It's locked!" she exclaimed when the boys caught up to her.

"Stand aside," Castiel ordered, simply touching the doorknob. Danielle grabbed it, throwing the door open. She ran inside, diving to the left and calling for her family in the kitchen and the living room while Sam and Dean went down the hall to the right, to the bedrooms.

"Dammit," Dean muttered, standing in the master bedroom.

"I can't find them, but their cars are still-" Danielle cried, running into the room.

"Sam!" Dean warned, and Sam went to grab the woman, but it was too late.

She already had seen the message written in blood above the bed's head frame: "Hide or Seek?" She clapped her hand over her mouth, muffling a scream. Sam took her out of the room, the damage already dealt.

She dropped onto the couch in the living room, bent over her knees. She shook with sobs, clutching onto the hair concentrated at her temples.

"More likely than not, the demons are keeping them alive," Sam attempted to console, unable to look at the crying woman.

"That makes me feel so much better," she sneered, turning her tear-filled eyes on Sam. She glared at him for only a second before her gaze softened. "Sorry," she apologized, cupping her face with her hands.

"Cas, can't you find them?" Dean demanded.

"No. The demons have hidden them from me," Castiel stated, his voice as monotone as ever.

Tears dripped down her cheeks, and her whole body shook as she looked up at the three men. "C-Can you find them? Please, you have to help me," she begged.

Dean glanced at Sam, who immediately nodded. "Of course," Sam promised.

Danielle nodded as well, wiping at her cheeks in a futile attempt to stop her tears. She stood up, glancing around the room with trembling lips. "So. What do we do now?"


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Two: Of Angels and Men

* * *

Danielle sat sideways in the less-than-comfortable backseat, her feet propped up on the opposite door. A book sat in her lap, though she was having difficulties concentrating. She had long since put in her headphones in an attempt to block out the horrid music of the 80's.

Playing absently with the edges of the book, she finally closed it, tossing it on the floorboard and closing her eyes. She was used to long car rides; a childhood of her sister playing competitive softball guaranteed that. She shifted, crossing her arms across her chest to get more comfortable.

It had been hard throwing together whatever pieces of her life she wanted to keep in a suitcase. Some clothes, a couple shoes, a few books, and almost twenty-thousand dollars. The rest had gone straight to a storage locker.

Danielle pulled out her phone again, searching through angel and archangel lore. Frowning at all the conflicting information, she removed her headphones and tapped Sam's shoulder.

"How do I tell what's real or not?" she asked.

"Uh...You'll have to give me more than that," Sam said, confused.

"Like, lore and stuff. Stories about creatures and whatever," she elaborated.

Sam shifted, glancing at Dean before he answered, "Well, mostly you learn from other hunters. Most of them keep journals."

"And that's how you learned?" she questioned.

"Yeah." Sam leaned forward, shuffling through the contents of his bag before handing her a barely-held together journal. "This is our dad's. It's how we learned most of our stuff."

"Sam!" Dean protested, snatching the book from his brother. "You don't go around giving Dad's stuff to just anybody!"

Danielle frowned, rolling her eyes. "How am I supposed to learn about all this stuff, then?"

"You don't," Dean barked.

"So you're just gonna keep me in the car while y'all go do the heavy stuff?" Danielle demanded. It didn't sound all that bad - missing out on the fighting and killing - but she at least wanted to know what they were up against.

"Even better; we're taking you to our friend Bobby," Dean stated, jerking the wheel.

Danielle was thrown to the side, and she scoffed.

"Click it or ticket," Dean snarked.

Danielle snorted, a smile spreading across her lips. She buckled up nevertheless, tossing her blanket on the seat beside her. "What about what Castiel said? Y'all have to be around to stop the demons."

"Bobby's a hunter, too. You'll be just as safe with him than us," Sam tried to convince her.

Danielle's brows furrowed. "Will Castiel be okay with that? I mean... He is an angel..."

"We aren't scared of Cas," Dean snorted.

Danielle's eyebrows rose, and she just shook her head, laying back down on the seat.

* * *

The car pulled to a stop in front of the rundown house. Sam glanced back at Danielle, who was fast asleep. Sam leaned around the seat, patting her thigh.

She shrieked, practically having a seizure and smacking her head against the top of the car. Her wide eyes spun around, and it took her a minute to realize what happened.

Sam, however, was cutting up. "We're here," he announced, stepping out of the car.

Danielle stared at him for a second before she smiled as well, rubbing her eyes and clambering out after him. She hoisted her backpack over her shoulder, rolling her suitcase over the cobblestoned driveway leading up to the house.

"This looks like something out of a horror movie," Danielle muttered, nervously scanning the house. She started chewing on her thumbnail, following Sam and Dean up to the door.

They didn't bother knocking; they walked straight in and started calling for Bobby.

Danielle chewed her lip, setting her bags down in the entry hall and awkwardly standing there while Sam and Dean seemingly made themselves at home. She waited in the doorway to the living room, watching Sam and Dean toss each other a beer. Dean went to give on to her, but she shook her head. "Oh, I don't...drink."

Dean's eyebrows shot up to his hairline. "Don't... You are seriously screwed up." He shook his head, cracking open his beer.

Danielle just rolled her eyes, turning when she heard someone come down the stairs behind her. An old man in his late forties, early fifties, bustled into the room, donned in a plaid vest and frayed baseball cap. He did a double take towards the girl, his brow furrowing.

"Uh... Who's this?" he asked gruffly, squinting at her.

Danielle went to answer, but Dean cut her off, "Danielle. She's a prophet."

"A what?!" Bobby demanded, turning on the boys.

"A prophet," Sam repeated. "Castiel told us."

Bobby nodded, furrowing his brow and just staring at Danielle. Her cheeks flamed, and she awkwardly avoided his gaze.

"Okay, we need you to keep an eye on the girl, just not that close," Dean stated, making Bobby roll his eyes. "Danielle, Bobby Singer. Bobby, Danielle Samson. Now that that's out of the way." He clapped his hands together and started towards the door. "We'll see you two later."

Sam followed, nodding at Bobby and pausing next to Danielle to say, "I'll call you with any news."

"Uh, wait!" Danielle called, jogging after Sam. She grabbed his wrist and turned him towards her. "You two are just going to go look for my family? Even though you two don't know me or owe me anything?"

Dean turned in the doorway, nodding. "That's kind of our job."

Danielle shook her head. "Sounds too good to be true," she muttered. "So, are you sure that I can trust this guy?" she asked in a lower tone. "He's not going to try and ... kill me, or anything?"

Sam barked a laugh. "Bobby? No, he wouldn't hurt a fly."

"But he's a hunter," Danielle retorted, eyebrow cocked.

"Trust me, you can trust him," Dean promised. He turned and walked out the front door.

Danielle shared a nervous look with Sam, who nodded. "We'll be in touch."

Danielle shut the door after them before going back into the living room. Bobby was standing in the middle of the room, and they just looked at each other for a few seconds before Danielle cleared her throat awkwardly. "Um, is there a place-?"

"Yeah, there's a guest room upstairs."

"Okay, thanks," Danielle muttered, following Bobby.

Was there any possible way this situation could get worse/more awkward/scarier?

* * *

10 Days Later

"Thank God I brought my laptop," Danielle commented.

Bobby rolled his eyes. "Oh, shut up."

Danielle grinned, plopping down on the couch and pulling out her bag. One of the phones started ringing on the wall, and she leapt to her feet.

"No, no!" Bobby protested, but Danielle ignored him, laughing as she pushed him out of the way and dove for the wall.

"You snooze, you lose, old man," she teased before answering the FBI phone. "Special Agent Danders, speaking."

"Bobby, hey- Danielle?"

Danielle furrowed her brow, glancing at Bobby, who was glaring at her. "Dean?"

"What are you, Bobby's PA now?" he sneered.

"He wishes," I retorted. "Here he is." She handed the phone to Bobby, who grumbled something - most likely unpleasant - under his breath.

Danielle just smiled, going over and grabbing one of the unknown hunter's journals Bobby had stashed in his basement and plopping down on the couch. She poured over the strange tellings about familiars and skin walkers and the like, taking notes of her own on the edges of her med school notes.

"You're welcome," Bobby sneered before hanging the phone back up on the wall.

"What'd he want?" Danielle asked, glancing up from her book.

"How to kill a monster. Typical." Bobby shook his head, going back over to his desk.

"Oh, stop frowning into your mustache," Danielle teased, grinning.

"Shut up," he growled.

There was the sound of wings and then Castiel appeared in the middle of the room. Danielle screamed, throwing the book and nailing the angel in the chest. He, unsurprisingly, didn't move, frowning down at the journal, then Danielle.

"Stop that!" Danielle demanded.

"Stop..." Castiel's brows furrowed, and he changed the subject. "What are you doing here?"

"Um... Being a shut-in, like you said," Danielle returned. She stood up, retrieving the journal and smoothing out the pages before setting it on the nearest table.

"Why are you not with Sam and Dean?" asked Castiel.

"They're out looking for my family," Danielle answered.

Castiel frowned, and Danielle mirrored his look. "Why? What's wrong with them looking for my family?"

Bobby had to hold back a snicker as Danielle fixed Castiel with her you-kicked-my-puppy doe eyes. The angel, clearly bewildered, glanced at Bobby for a second before looking back at her. "Nothing. The demons will be able to find you, if they haven't already."

Danielle stubbornly shook her head. "No, we have those... hex bags thingies."

Castiel's brow furrowed, and he turned to Bobby, who shrugged.

"You had a vision last night," Castiel stated.

The color drained out of Danielle's face, and she cast a nervous look towards Bobby. "What about it?" she whispered, crossing her arms in front of her chest and avoiding eye contact with anybody.

"You had a vision?!" Bobby demanded. "Why didn't you tell me? Do Sam and Dean know?"

"Nobody knows," Castiel answered for her. "What did you dream?"

Danielle sat down on the couch, her caramel eyes cast towards the ground. "Sam and Dean fight a demon - a really strong one - and..." she trailed off, chewing on her bottom lip. She clearly was trying to protect them.

"Continue," Castiel ordered.

"A demon helped them. A demon that Sam's friends with."

"We know about Ruby," Castiel said.

Danielle plowed on: "And there's a girl. Sam and Dean don't know it, but she's a fallen angel."

"Danielle, where is she?"

Danielle shrank back into the couch as the angel took an aggressive step towards her. She glanced nervously over at Bobby, knowing how the boys liked the angel girl. She'd seen what Castiel and the other angel were planning to do. "Why?" she questioned.

"Tell me," Castiel commanded, making the girl flinch.

"In a cabin in the woods. Wisconsin."

Before she could even blink, Castiel was gone. She exhaled loudly, dropping her head in her hands.

"What the hell is going on?!" Bobby demanded.

"There's a girl - a fallen angel - she just doesn't know it yet. Sam and Dean and ... Ruby ... are with her now. Bobby, Castiel wants to kill her," she admitted, turning wide eyes on him. "I didn't know what to do; I should have lied!"

"No, he would've figured it out," Bobby said, shaking his head. "Balls! We have to warn them."

"It's too late now," Danielle protested, standing up. "We should start cleaning."

"Why?"

"They're coming here. Whatever happens, Castiel won't kill her right away. And, do you know a woman, about this tall, sunglasses, black hair?"

Bobby's brows furrowed. "Pam? Yeah, why?"

"Call her. She's going to be here, too," Danielle stated, walking up the stairs.

"Well. Thanks for not being cryptic about it," Bobby mumbled under his breath.

* * *

"Where's Bobby?" Sam asked.

"He ran off to the Dominican. There was an emergency or something." Danielle shrugged. "In all honesty, I think he ditched because he knew y'all were comin'." She grinned at the boys before her eyes slid over to the dark-haired demon standing in the doorway. Danielle inhaled deeply, waving at the girl. If Sam and Dean trusted her, then Danielle could too.

"Word is you're a prophet. That true?" she questioned.

"That's what I've been told," Danielle answered. "You're Anna?"

The red-head snapped her gaze away from the walls back to Danielle, and she nodded. "Nice to meet you."

"This is Danielle," Dean introduced.

"The angels talk about you," Anna blurted.

Danielle's eyebrows rose. "What do they say?"

"They just talk about where you are, when you're sleeping, when you're having visions."

Danielle blanched, swallowing nervously. "That is so creepy," she confessed, going over to the fridge and downing a can of Dr. Pepper in no time.

Because of Bobby's advanced warning, Pam showed up a few minutes after the rest of the party. While everyone else seemed to have no problem getting along with Pamela, Danielle couldn't help but be wary of the over-confident woman.

They were heading into Bobby's panic room, when Pam called out, "And sweetheart, there's no reason to be scared!"

Danielle blinked, hoping that Pam was talking to Ruby. However, she never could be lucky. "Yes, you. I don't bite," she teased before she started cackling.

Danielle grimaced, glancing nervously at Sam, who just shrugged and smirked.

Pam, however nervous she made Danielle, was good at her job. It took only took minutes before Anna was having a meltdown. Danielle, of course, had totally panicked and booked it back up the stairs as soon as the lights started popping.

She sat at her usual spot on the couch and listened as Anna explained the story of how she fell. Why anybody would want to give up being an angel for anything, Danielle had no idea. But no matter what she did, Anna was going to be punished for disobeying.

Danielle just didn't know if she should side with the angels. Clearly, they worked for God, and she was a Christian... She would be obeying God's word, right?

But... The angels were going to kill her. Was that right?

Danielle chewed nervously on her thumbnail, secretly waging a war in her head over what the "right" thing to do was.

"Alright; we're going after Anna's grace. We'll see you later," Dean said quickly, grabbing his jacket and heading for the door.

"Wait, you can't just leave me by myself!" Danielle protested.

"You were by yourself for like an hour when Bobby left," Dean pointed out.

"Yeah, but that was just an hour," Danielle argued. "Who knows how long y'all'll be gone! Plus, my archangel might come in handy."

Dean stood there for a moment, contemplating. He glanced at Sam, who shrugged. "It'll help with the demon problem."

Dean huffed. "Fine."

Danielle grinned, grabbing her shoes and following them out the door.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four: Amends

She passed the time counting cracks in the ceiling. When light began to trickle in through the single, tiny window at the top of one of the walls, she went downstairs.

Dean was sitting at the rickety kitchen table, sipping on a beer. He glanced up at Danielle before scowling and looking away.

Her stomach squirmed nervously, but she managed to say, "You shouldn't drink so early."

He just shook his head, ignoring her.

Danielle bit her lip, too scared to say anything else. She went over to the fridge, pulling out a Dr. Pepper. She went over to the pantry and poured her some cereal. As a second thought, she pulled out a second bowl, setting it on the counter. "Do you want some cereal?" she asked, not daring to turn around. The heavy silence was all she needed to know to slowly put the bowl back.

Right as she stretched up to put it back in the cabinet, Dean snapped, "Why'd you do it?"

She jumped violently, the plastic bowl falling to the ground. In the early-morning stillness, the sound was deafening. Heart racing, she picked it back up and set it in the sink. "I don't know."

"You don't know?" The chair scraped back on the linoleum floor, and Danielle tensed, feeling his glare burning into her back. "You sold a friend out for no reason? I don't buy it. What did the angels offer you, huh? Your family? 'Cause we're already helping you with that."

"They didn't offer me anything," Danielle muttered, upset that she'd let Dean down. He thought that she needed an incentive, that sweet ole Danny couldn't possibly hand over someone to be killed without getting something in return. When in reality, Danielle had handed her over on a silver platter without a problem.

"Then what? Hey, look at me!"

Danielle slowly turned around, keeping her eyes cast sheepishly downwards.

"Why the hell did you do it?"

"I don't know... I just- They're angels, Dean. I thought, if I could trust anyone, it would be them!"

"No, Danielle! Angels are just dicks with a purpose from some god that probably doesn't even exist!" Danielle finally snapped her gaze up to him, shocked that he even thought like that. "Trust us! Me, Sam, and Bobby!"

"Dean, do you even realize that I don't know your last name?" Danielle confessed, hopelessly shaking her head. "You two are just strangers who know all the right things to say. I mean, for all I know, you two could be serial killers who just tricked me into thinking all this. I can't trust you anymore than I could trust a demon. I mean, I've seen you two in dreams, but that's nothing like real life."

Dean blinked, surprised at Danielle's meek argument. He never thought about it from her point of view, but she was right. They were no more familiar than two strangers on the street. He stuck out his hand, and, at first, she flinched. He rolled his eyes, and she caught onto the gist, shaking his hand. "I'm Dean Winchester. My brother's name is Sam, and the old guy's Bobby Singer. We hunt monsters, and we're trying to stop the apocalypse." He released her hand, cocking an eyebrow. "You know me now?"

Danielle couldn't stop the small smile that flickered across her lips. "Yeah."

"Good. Now trust me when I say this: we are the only people you are allowed to trust. Capish?"

Danielle nodded. "Alright. So... We're okay, now?"

"Only if you make me a bowl of cereal," he negotiated, pointing at her.

She grinned, rolling her eyes and smacking away his hand. "Sit down." She made him a bowl, and the two of them sat at the table in - slightly awkward - but not undesirable silence. He did a good job of supplying some of the conversation, asking questions about her and her life. However, whenever she tried to get him to talk, he immediately shut her down. For the time being, she supposed that was okay. At least they were talking.

2 Days Later

Danielle's eyes snapped open, and she gasped for air, drenched in a cold sweat. It took her a few seconds to recognize her surroundings, and even a second longer to realize she was safe.

Sighing, she glanced over at the clock on the nightstand only to notice the form towering against the wall. She barely suppressed a scream, realizing that the person was just Castiel.

She went to relax, but then she remembered what Dean told her. She rolled out of bed, fixing her gaze carefully on him. "What do you want?" she demanded.

"You had a vision," he pointed out.

"And?"

He took a threatening step forward, penetrating her with his warning glare. "You must not tell Sam and Dean."

"But if Pam dies-"

Castiel just raised his chin, and Danielle instantly clamped her lips together. Though she planned to do the exact opposite, she managed to nod in agreement, ignoring the squirm in her stomach - she was lying to angels now.

"You tricked me," she accused.

"I did nothing," Castiel retorted sourly. "What else did you prophesize?"

"You mean the angels?" she questioned.

"Yes," he answered.

"If you're asking who did it -"

"Yes," he said again.

"- I don't know. I just watched them die." A heavy weight settled in her chest at the thought. Any loss of life was devastating, but the death of an angel... It was absolutely heartbreaking. Jerks as they may be, they were all still beautiful. God's mesmerizing army.

Castiel stared at her silently, and Danielle flushed, unable to meet his gaze. "What?" she finally asked, unable to take the awkwardness any longer.

"I just have to make sure you aren't lying."

"I'm not," she answered. "Promise." She still avoided his gaze, though she had nothing to feel guilty about. Despite that, she felt like she had committed some horrible crime.

There was the sound of wings, and Danielle glanced up to see that he had disappeared. She exhaled in relief, pulling her thick hair up into a bun and making her way down the stairs.

"Morning, princess," Bobby cheered.

Danielle just shot him a fake glare, trudging to the fridge and grabbing a Dr. Pepper.

"Is that your hair or another head?"

She rolled her eyes, cracking a smile despite the fact that she was too tired/upset/irritated. Instead, she popped open her coke and went over to one of the wall phones. She dialed Dean's number from Bobby's address book, sitting down on the counter.

"What are you doin'?" Bobby asked.

"Dean, hey, I had a vision," she stated, glancing up at Bobby as an answer to his question. "Whatever you do, do not call Pamela to help you with your next case ... Because she dies ... I don't know; you two were dead but you weren't really, and then you got shot, but you just kind of disappeared instead of dying ... I don't know! ... Castiel came to see me, too ... Just now! He told me not to tell y'all, but you said to trust you ... Alright, bye."

Danielle hung up the phone, groaning and shuffling over to the couch, where she collapsed.

"Do I not get an explanation?" Bobby demanded.

"When it's the acceptable time for a human being to be awake," she grumbled, burying her face in the pillow.

Bobby snorted, shaking his head. "Women."

10 Years Ago

"Danny, do you mind?" the frazzled woman snapped, arms full of dirty laundry.

"All you had to do was ask, Mom," Danielle returned, standing up and answering her youngest sister's desperate pleas for help. "Come on, sit down." The eight-year old jumped up, her fluorescent pink tutu bouncing as she came over and plopped down in front of Danielle.

"Carter, hand me that brush," Danielle ordered, pulling the wiry brown hair behind the tiny shoulders.

"No," Carter retorted coyly, never taking her eyes off her phone.

The fifteen-year-old rolled her eyes, grabbing the brush off the dresser right next to Carter. "Brat," Danielle muttered, moving back behind Sophie and running the brush through her hair.

The dogs started barking loudly, chasing each other around the living room. Danielle's mother started yelling at them to stop, Sophie started squealing and jumping around in an attempt not to get knocked off her feet, Carter snapped at the mother, and Gabby started playing her violin in the next room.

"Oh my gosh!" Danielle shouted, clapping her hands over her ears.

"My hair!" Sophie wailed, pulling on Danielle's arms.

"This is why I never come down from my room!" Danielle pointed out to her mom, who walked around her to grab one of the German shepherds and drag him into his cage.

A large, broad-shouldered man sauntered into the room, immediately claiming control. The dogs instantly stopped barking, resorting to separate parts of the room. Gabby put her violin away, and Sophie ran towards him, jumping up and down around his legs. Carter saw him and instantly smiling, pocketing her phone and standing up.

Danielle couldn't help grinning, shaking her head. "You want your hair braided or not, Sophie?"

Sophie clapped her hands together, running back over and sitting down. Danielle started running her brush through her hair. Sophie squealed in pain, yanking her head away and rubbing at her choke-necklace.

"Ow!" she whined. "You popped my necklace!"

"Sorry!" Danielle apologized. "Come on; I gotta braid your hair!"

Now

Danielle's phone started buzzing across the room, and she peeked over the brim of the "Demon Encyclopedia" as Dean called it. "Wanna get that for me?"

"You lazy..." Bobby started mumbling, shaking his head, but getting the phone anyways. He handed it to her, and she grinned at him.

"Danny, what the hell took you so long?"

"Uh- I just- It was- Hello to you, too, Dean," Danielle ended with a grumble.

"Hey, we have a lead on your family."

Danielle rose to her feet, her fingers tightening around the cell. "What? Where?!"

"Hartford, South Dakota."

Danielle ran over to Bobby's desk, shoving books and other various objects out of the way. Ignoring Bobby's protests, she cradled the phone between her shoulder and cheek, scrawling an address on a sticky note.

"It's a high school. Can't miss it."

"Alright. We'll be right there." Danielle slipped the phone into her back pocket, dropping to her knees and putting all the things back up on the desk. "How far away is Hartford?"

"South Dakota? Less than an hour, why?"

"Dean has a lead. On my family. Come on." Danielle grabbed her wallet and tossed Bobby his keys, nearly sprinting out the door.


	5. Chapter 5

**Prepare to have your heart strings jerked... I sure did. ): **

* * *

Chapter Five

Til Death Do Us Part

Danielle sat in the car on the edge of the seat, her leg shaking the whole vehicle. "Can you go any slower?" she demanded in exasperation.

"None of you kids nowadays seem to know what patience means," Bobby grumbled.

Danielle shook her head, chewing her lip like she always did when she was nervous.

"Hey," Bobby said, lowering his tone. "Don't get your hopes up too high, kid. If they were there, they're long gone by now."

Danielle didn't answer, staring intently at their surroundings.

It only took five minutes longer to get to the school; Danielle had jumped out of the car before it even stopped.

"What are you doing?!" she demanded to the boys waiting next to their car. "Come on!"

"Whoa," Dean called, blocking her path. "Just slow down a minute."

"Are you kidding? My family's in there!"

"Maybe," Dean returned. "And we understand that, but you can't just run in there. We have to sneak; you have to have a way to protect yourself."

"I do, it's called an archangel," she shot back.

"I mean something a little more controllable," Dean responded, going over to the trunk of his Impala. Danielle bounced impatiently during Dean's quick lesson about guns.

"Come on; I just need to know where the trigger is!"

Dean sighed. "I know you're impatient-"

"No, you don't know!" Danielle snapped before bringing a shaking hand up to her forehead. "Sorry; it's just..."

"We get it," Dean promised, handing Danielle the gun. "Stay behind us, okay? And try not to shoot me."

Despite everything, Danielle still smiled before following Dean into the empty school. They crept along the wall, Sam and Bobby making the caboose.

"Why are we even hiding if I've got my archangel?" Danielle whispered, trying to slide her feet so her flip-flops wouldn't slap against the floor.

Dean licked his lips, glancing into one of the classrooms. "Because, chances are the demon's got the quicker draw. Your angel takes his sweet time coming down."

Danielle chewed her lip, pointing her gun at the ground like she'd seen people do on T.V. and following. The gun was uncomfortably heavy, and she felt bad just by holding it. But she knew if it came down to it, she probably would be the worst shot in the world.

Eventually, they cleared all of the school except for the gymnasium. They stood outside, peeking in the doors. The bleachers blocked their sight.

"If they were here, Danielle's angel would have gone off by now," Sam pointed out.

"Yeah. It's not looking too hot," Dean told Danny.

"Good thing I'm an optimist," Danielle joked, cracking a nervous smile.

Dean smirked at her, shaking his head before quietly opening the door. They eased their way into the dim room, looking all around for any signs of recent activity. Half of the fluorescent lights were off, and of the half that were on, they flickered hesitantly, like they weren't sure whether to come on or not.

Dean pointed towards the single laptop situated in the middle of the floor. Sure that there was no danger, Danielle and Dean cautiously stepped up to it.

"A video," Danielle stated, her voice echoing. Sam walked up, yellow powder dusted on his fingers. He showed it to Dean and Bobby, who both grimaced. The demons had been here, all right.

Danielle cradled the laptop in her arms, holding it where everyone could see. She hit the play button, watching as a grainy, black-and-white face came into the picture. "Hey sweetheart," he crooned, staring straight into the camera. "We got some people here you might wanna see." He cackled, and for a moment they heard nothing but the camera shifting and saw a blurry background.

When it cleared up, it showed five people chained to chairs. Even through the horrid sound quality, they could hear the ragged breathing

The cameraman walked up to the biggest of them all, grabbing the back of his head and yanking it up. "Say hello to Daddy!" he hissed, and Danielle froze at the sight of her dad. His nose was clearly broken, his lip split, and his eyes swollen and black.

"Hi Daddy," the demon whispered, holding the camera and pressing his cheek against her dad's in order to be in the shot as well. "You have anything to say to your daughter?"

Her dad started coughing, blood dribbling from his lips. "Love you," he croaked.

The demon made a loud, sharp noise like a buzzer, making her dad flinch. "Wrong answer!" The demon grabbed one of her dad's hands, holding it up in front of the camera and taking hold of the pinky. He slowly twisted it, and all that could be heard was the sick sound of the bones shattering. Her dad threw his head back, shouting out in pain.

Danielle couldn't take anymore. With trembling hands, she slowly and deliberately shut the laptop lid, knowing this was evidence. She handed it to Dean before going over to the bleachers and carefully sitting down on the lowest step. She moved slowly, thinking through every movement in a way that worried the boys.

"Danielle-" Sam started.

Danielle bit her lip, fighting the quickly rising nausea. This kind of thing… It didn't happen to her. It didn't happen to _anyone_, for that matter.

Dean caught sight of something black curled up on the ground near the bleachers. He walked over to it, picking it up and bringing it over to Danielle. "Do you recognize this?"

Danielle glanced at the foreign object in Dean's hand, her heart dropping to her feet. It was Sophie's black choker necklace that she'd had since she was 6. Danielle picked it up with trembling fingers, frowning as the blood from the necklace dyed her fingers red. "It's my sister's," she whispered, refusing to think about what it meant.

While Dean and Danielle had been talking, Sam had been investigating the area where Dean had found the necklace. He furrowed his brow at something behind the bleachers before calling, "Guys!" and disappearing.

Danielle jumped to her feet, chasing after Sam. She was right behind Sam, watching him drop to his knees next to the body of a teenage girl.

All the color drained from Danielle's face as her mind went into autopilot. In life-or-death situations, Danielle had found that she was good at pushing all the bothersome human emotions out of the way, focusing on what needed to be done.

Danielle fell on the other side of the girl, pressing her ear to the girl's still chest. She felt how cold her skin was and knew that the girl hadn't been breathing for a good while. However, she still straddled the girl's chest, immediately beginning CPR.

"Call 911," she instructed quietly to Sam, focusing all her mind and strength on reviving the girl.

Sam complied, staring at the blood-soaked girl. Whoever it was, she had clearly gone through a pretty intense beating. His eyes lifted up to the wall behind her, where another mocking message was scrawled in blood: You're getting warmer.

"Don't you dare die," Danielle muttered, stopping just to feel the pulse in the girl's neck.

"Someone come do CPR," she ordered, climbing off the girl as Sam took her place.

Danielle stripped out of her long-sleeved shirt, leaving her in only a tank top. "Your knife," she demanded to Dean, slicing the long-sleeve into several long strips.

She pulled off the girl's shirt, exposing her abdomen, which looked like a cat's scratching post.

Danielle turned green, holding a hand over her mouth to keep back the bile swelling up in her throat. She spat to the side, instantly returning to her patient. She started spitting on her hand, wiping at the blood on the girl's stomach. She wrapped the strips around her stomach, tying them tightly to keep the girl's intestines inside her body.

She took over for Sam and didn't stop helping the patient until the EMT's arrived. They leaned over her, sliding the gurney under the girl. The doctors tried to get her to leave, but she wouldn't budge. When they started pulling her away, she finally lost her cool, screaming and kicking at the staff.

"Stop! That's my sister, please!"

Sam and Dean shared a horrified look, following the EMT's out to the ambulance. Danielle was still shrieking things at the doctors, trying to answer questions and bark orders at the same time. They pushed the gurney into the ambulance, and Danielle jumped in right before the doors swung shut.

Dean, Bobby, and Sam followed the ambulance, arriving at the hospital at the same time. Danielle ran in, sticking to her sister's side until they finally pushed her away. She was clearly about to start fighting again, but Sam grabbed her, pulling her back.

Danielle collapsed into a chair, her face completely devoid of its usual cheerful color. She propped her elbows up on her knees, eyes wide as she just stared across the room in shock.

A nurse brought over some blankets: "To keep her from going into shock", and asked some simple questions. Danielle answered some – "No, she doesn't have any allergies", "She's fifteen", "Yes, she's healthy" – but for the nitty-gritty ones questioning what happened, she stayed silent, letting the boys take over.

Sam went out to bring back coffee and fast food, but they remained pretty stoic around Danielle. They settled in for a long night, trying to coax Danielle into talking. The fear was clear in her eyes as she chewed on her thumbnail, shivering into her blanket.

Despite what they expected, they quickly got a report. Not half an hour later, a pretty doctor wearing scrubs stepped up to them.

"You're Sophie Samson's sister?" she questioned.

Danielle stood up, nodding hesitantly. "Only if you have good news," she joked nervously, her stomach twisting itself into knots.

The doctor's gaze fell to the floor. "I'm so sorry. We did everything we could."

Danielle stood there, staring at the doctor. "S-So when can I see her?" she questioned.

"There was just too much damage," the doctor went on. "She was gone by the time she got here."

"No, she's fifteen," Danielle stated, shaking her head. "No, she's only fifteen."

"I'm so sorry," the doctor sincerely apologized before walking away.

Danielle stared after the doctor, shaking like a leaf. She was oblivious to the sympathetic glances from the other people occupying the waiting room. She glanced over at Dean, her brow furrowed. "I … don't understand," she stammered.

"God, I'm sorry," Dean muttered.

"But… we _found_ her," Danielle argued. "I- I did CPR; I t-tried-"

Sam ran his hands through his hair, and Bobby readjusted his cap. No one would make eye contact with Danielle, and her heart started racing. She shook her head, refusing to accept the truth as tears brimmed in her eyes.

"She's only fifteen. She's only fifteen; kids don't die. They d-d-don't. They…" She broke off, breathing too fast to say anything else. The tears were starting to spill from her eyes, and she just kept shaking her head.

"No," she moaned. "No." She buried her face in her hands, her shoulders shaking as she started sobbing.

"I'll take her home," Dean offered in a whisper. "Take care of the paperwork."

Bobby and Sam nodded as Dean wrapped his arm around her shoulders. She started gasping, clutching onto his jacket and burying her face into his side.

* * *

Danielle was sitting on the couch, a blanket wrapped tightly around her body. Tears had stained her pale cheeks, and she had finally cried herself out, resorting to just blankly staring across the room. Dean had started a fire and was sitting across from her, trying to put his thoughts into words.

"You know… Sam died, once," Dean hesitantly stated.

"Yes," she agreed, her voice wispy and thin.

"I know how you're feeling," he said.

Danielle glanced at him with eyes that seemed to slide right off. She didn't seem to be able to really see him. "I know you do," she whispered.

"But I can promise you," Dean firmly announced, leaning forward. "We will do everything we can to save the rest of your family. The apocalypse, Lucifer, it's all taking a break. Your family comes first."

Her lips very faintly twitched up into a forlorn smile. "Thank you, Dean."

There was a slight rustling sound, and then a form was standing in front of the fire. Dean started, relaxing when he saw his angel. Danielle slowly glanced at him before looking away.

"What are you doing here, Cas?" Dean muttered, not missing Danielle's reaction.

"The demons left a video," he stated at full volume. Dean instantly shushed him, making the angel tilt his head in confusion.

"Be quiet," Dean retorted in a sharp whisper. "It's respectful."

"I don't care," Danielle mumbled apathetically. "Do you want some coffee?" she questioned, looking at Castiel.

Castiel just furrowed his brow in a way that was actually kind of adorable. "No."

"I'll start on it now," Danielle stated, ignoring his answer. She slowly rose to her feet, clutching her blanket tightly around her shoulders like a life-line before shuffling into the kitchen.

Castiel turned his confused look on Dean, who stood up and crossed over to the angel. "Her sister just died," he explained.

"I'm aware," the angel responded, still looking confused. He knew about human emotions, and he knew that grief could make somebody act oddly, he'd just never seen it firsthand.

"I need to examine the video the demons left," Castiel said, his tone quieter.

"What for?" Dean asked, furrowing his brow.

"We think these demons are working for Lilith."

"No duh, Sherlock," Dean snapped.

Castiel glowered at the interruption but continued nonetheless. "If we can find them, we can find Lilith."

"Alright, but you'll have to wait your turn," Dean smart-alecked.

"I need the video," he repeated, his voice creeping towards a threatening tone.

"Take a number," Dean shot back, turning and sitting back down in the armchair. He had the laptop resting on the little shelf next to the chair, and he picked it up, setting it possessively in his lap just to make sure Castiel didn't snatch it from him.

Danielle shuffled back into the room. "I started the coffee," she announced quietly.

"Thanks, Danielle," Dean said, nodding towards her.

"What are you here for?" Danielle questioned, looking towards the angel.

Castiel, heeding what Dean had said, whispered, "I came for the demon video."

"He's just gonna haveta wait his turn," Dean remarked smartly.

Danielle went over to the purse that she never used, rifling through the contents before pulling out a flash drive. She went over to Dean and handed it to him before going to sit back down, seemingly worn out by the action.

Dean felt like making the compromise was too close to giving up, but he gritted his teeth and downloaded the video to the drive for Danielle's sake. He threw the drive at Castiel, who easily plucked it from the air.

"Thank you," Castiel stated to the two humans before disappearing.

Dean wanted to argue with Danielle; she wasn't supposed to just be a pushover. She was supposed to fight back, toe the line, but he let it go. She couldn't do much of anything in the state she was in.

"Danny, you give up on your coffee?" Dean asked gently.

Danielle was staring at the fire, her trembling frown dipping lower and lower. She pressed her eyes shut, pulling her knees up to her chest as fresh tears started running down her cheeks.

Dean sighed, standing up and turning off the machine in the kitchen. Bobby and Sam showed up a few hours later with information about the funeral and life insurance checks.

Danielle tried her hardest to keep herself under control while they talked, but it was clear to the three of them that she was a lost cause. At around one in the morning, they finally gave up, all retreating to separate parts of the houses to catch some sleep while Danielle curled up next to the fire and cried.

* * *

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	6. Chapter 6

**So we are officially past the halfway point! Hope y'all are liking the story so far. (:**

* * *

Chapter Six

Rubbing Salt in The Wounds

The funeral had been a miserable, heart-breaking affair. Apparently, Sophie had been a very popular teenager, considering how the cemetery was flooded with people and well-wishers. Danielle had been exhausted all during the event, trying her best to smile and accept everyone's condolences. Anybody could see how taxing the funeral was, especially considering the fact that she had to take care of everything by herself. She didn't even have her family there to help her.

Sam, Dean, and Bobby tried their damndest to help; they kept her busy, whether it was research, cleaning around the house, packing salt into bullets, etc. The life insurance check was eventually delivered, seeing as how Danielle was the only viable recipient, with enough 0's to make the boys feel rich as kings.

Danielle was gracious enough to offer to split the money among the boys – she didn't want any of it – but they denied her, finally convincing her to keep it. She could spend it on them whenever she wanted.

Now, almost a week later, Danielle found herself in a very troubling situation: she had nothing to do. She stood in the middle of the spotless living room, glancing around in vain to find some trivial task to keep her busy. The boys were scattered around the house; Sam was closest, sitting in the kitchen and drinking the coffee Danielle had made earlier that morning.

Danielle's eyes fell on the laptop resting on Bobby's desk. They'd heard nothing from Castiel, and Dean had failed to find anything on the video that hinted to the family or Lilith's location. She went over to the computer, opening the lid and easing down on the couch.

She turned off the volume, opening the video and chewing nervously on her nail. She just wanted to see her sister again, alive and breathing, not a still corpse lying in a coffin.

Before the video even started, an email notification popped up in the corner. Danielle's brow furrowed as she opened the email.

_'Hi, Danny. I think you remember me... I'm the guy from the video! Now, sh, I know you wanna run to Mickey and Minnie, but it would be best if you kept this to yourself. At least hear my proposition._

_You email this address with your visions, and we won't hurt your family. Hey, we might even let them go! Consider Sophie an attempt to break the ice. We aren't really as bad as your friends make us out to be._

_Okay, kidding, we really are. You have thirty seconds to respond or we cut off Gabby's foot._

_Hugs and kisses.'_

Danielle froze in horror, her skin crawling. Terrified, she replied with a simple yes, chewing nervously on her lip as the response popped up.

_'Fantastic! Glad to have you on Team Satan. Report back in three hours.'_

"You really shouldn't watch that video," Sam stated, coming in from the kitchen.

Danielle jumped in surprise, quickly closing out of the browser. "I- Uh, I'm not. I'm just, uh, looking for other, um, clues."

Sam cocked an eyebrow, clearly dubious. She sighed, shutting the lid and handing it to Sam, who sat down next to her.

"See if you can find anything. You are the one who went to Stanford, after all."

Sam smiled a little. "Bobby told you, huh?"

"No, I saw it in a dream," she returned just as Bobby and Dean came into the room.

"You okay?" Dean questioned like he always did whenever he saw her.

She nodded, giving him a faint smile. Dean was starting to believe her; the color was starting to come back in her cheeks, and her lips didn't seem quite so heavy. She still had dark circles under her eyes, but he was sure those would go away as soon as she got back on a normal sleeping schedule.

"So, what do we do now?" Sam asked blatanly, looking around at the current house inhabitants.

"We look for anything on that computer that can tell us where the demons went," Dean answered before glancing at Danielle. "Or for you to have a vision. Whichever comes faster."

Joy, Danielle thought, her heart sinking in fear.

* * *

Danielle woke up in a cold sweat, trembling and frozen with fear. When the stark terror that always followed her prophesies – even the good ones – passed, she found herself face-to-face with the horrible burden of getting up.

This was when she felt Sophie's loss the most. In the tranquil silence of the early morning, her mind always tricked her into thinking that Sophie was still alive. She always woke up expecting to go downstairs and see her younger sister. Sophie would look up and flash her older sister her heart-breakingly beautiful smile, the one that seemed to send boys into a trance and could always get her out of trouble.

But then the truth would hit Danielle as she became more aware, feeling like a crushing weight on her chest. It took her breath away; her sister was dead, and it was all her fault. She would never see the beautiful girl again. Her promising future was terminated, snatched away without a second thought. She would never get married or have kids of her own. She would never go to prom or graduate high school.

It wasn't falling asleep that made Danielle dread sleep; it was waking up.

She laid there for nearly an hour before finally heading downstairs. She glanced at Bobby, who was sitting at the kitchen table, poring over a newspaper.

"You okay?" Bobby grunted. She was more forlorn than usual, and she avoided Bobby's gaze.

"I had a vision," Danielle admitted with a frown, sipping from a Dr. Pepper. She stood in the kitchen, trying to remember her last dosage of painkillers. Was it safe enough to take some more, or had she already taken enough?

"What'd you see?" he asked.

Danielle's dark eyes slowly rose to meet his gaze. "I know who's killing angels," she whispered.

"Someone's killing angels?" Bobby demanded in surprise, setting aside his newspaper and sitting up.

"Yes."

Danielle jumped and shrieked, splashing her soda all over her shirt as the angel appeared in the doorway. She closed her eyes, slowing her heartbeat before grabbing a towel from a drawer.

Castiel turned his stony gaze on her. "Who is it?"

"I ... I can't tell you," she responded, carefully avoiding looking at him. "The way it goes now ... It's good. I don't want to mess it up."

Castiel's brow furrowed jut slightly, and Danielle went on. "You find him and kill him. If I tell you who it is, the future changes!"

"Who is it, Danielle?"

Danielle just shook her head, finally looking at him. Her puppy-dog eyes were morose as she stared apologetically at the angel. "I'm sorry, Cas," she muttered. The way she said it hinted at a much deeper, more foreboding reason than her withholding a name.

Castiel looked confused before suddenly disappearing again.

Danielle sighed, rubbing her temples and leaning against the counter. "Dean gets hurt," she whispered.

"What?" Bobby demanded, rising to his feet.

"He'll be okay; he just gets pretty beat up." Danielle chewed on her lip, nervously fingering her can. "So does Cas. What are we supposed to do? If we warn them, the future changes. They could die."

Bobby messed with his hat before finally just shaking his head. "I guess we just haveta wait."

* * *

"Uriel."

Danielle screamed, the freshly washed clothes flying out of her arms as she whirled around. Castiel was sitting in the creaky chair across Bobby's bedroom (where Danielle had been keeping residence for months now), his hands clasped tightly together.

"You knew it was Uriel." He raised his penetrating gaze up to Danielle's.

She frowned, nodding and sitting on the edge of her bed. "Are you... okay?" she asked awkwardly, not sure what else to say.

His brow furrowed, and he looked down at his hands. "I do not know."

"I'm really sorry," Danielle said. "Do you ... wanna talk about it?" Danielle always felt so awkward with situations like these; she never had any idea of what to say, other than 'God's got a plan' and etc. But she knew the angel already had a pretty good grasp on that.

He glanced up, his face blank of any expression other than confusion. "Why would I want to do that?"

Danielle blinked. "Um ... Oh, it's a human thing, I guess." He didn't respond, dropping his gaze back down to his hands.

"How's Dean?" she asked, trying to change the subject. What was he still doing here? Normally he only ever came back if he needed something. It's not like they were friends... Could he even have friends?

"He's recovering," Castiel answered shortly.

"Oh," Danielle returned simply. An awkward silence stretched by, during which Danny inwardly pleaded with God to free her from this situation.

Finally, Cas stood up, trench coat swishing around his body. "I understand your decision not to tell about Uriel," he stated.

Danielle, completely lost about what to say, just nodded. "Uh, okay? Thanks?"

He paused for a moment, obviously thinking hard about something. "I'm sorry about your sister," he eventually said.

Danielle blinked in surprise, not expecting the sudden condolences. Especially not from Cas; the angel didn't even seem like he could be sorry. She still hadn't figured out how to respond before he inclined his head just slightly and blinked away.

Sam and Dean showed up a few days later, sporting bandages and frowns. Danielle spoke to each of them separately (it was the least she could do, considering how they'd helped her while she was grieving), assuring Dean that it wasn't his fault the apocalypse started, and promising Sam he wasn't a monster. It was hard to get her point across the stubborn boys, but she didn't give up until she was sure they at least took her words into consideration.

Not much later, Dean got a call from a boy claiming to be John Winchester's son. Needless to say, they packed everything up and hit the road, reluctantly bringing Danielle with them.

* * *

Windom, Minnesota

They checked into the skeevy motel, and Dean couldn't help but smirk at the disdainful glances Danielle was sending everywhere.

"Something wrong, princess?" he teased.

"Is that a- I just saw a cockroach," Danielle muttered, her lips pressed together as if she was fighting back the urge to gag. "What's so bad with a nice Hampton Inn? Holiday Express?"

Dean chuckled. "You're gonna have to forget all about that if you wanna roll with us."

"I don't wanna roll with you," she retorted as they reached their rooms. Hers was right next to theirs, and she couldn't even manage to get the door open. "Dean!" she whined, stepping back and giving him a pitiful look.

"You just gotta," Dean started, pushing the door. When it wouldn't budge, he wedged his shoulder and gave it one big shove. It burst open, dust showering down from the frame. "Put your shoulder into it," he finished, grinning at Danielle's disgusted face.

She suddenly sneezed, groaning. "I'm allergic to dirt!"

"I thought you were from the South!" Sam called through the wall.

"I am!" Danny shot back as Dean opened the door connecting their rooms. "I just don't like dirt and roaches in my bed, no matter where I'm from!"

Sam chuckled, shaking his head.

"So where is this brother of y'all's at?" Danielle asked when they finally got settled in.

"He's gonna meet us at a diner in about two hours," Dean responded, surfing through the TV channels.

"Thanks for coming," Sam added from his table where he was studying. "I mean, it can't be easy dropping all your family stuff to come help with ours."

Danielle frowned, crossing her arms and leaning in the doorframe. "It's the least I can do," she answered in a small voice. "Plus, this keeps me busy. Keeps me from thinking."

"Well if you two are done having a moment," Dean interrupted, "We're leaving in thirty minutes."

"An hour and a half early?" Danielle demanded. Dean just nodded, and Sam smirked at her exasperated glance. She shook her head, walking into her room and mumbling, "You're just like my dad."

* * *

"What are you planning to do, accidentally stab him?" Danielle questioned.

"I'll just give him the silverware," Dean retorted, handing the utensils to Danielle, who set them up next to her.

"Oh," Danny sighed, sitting back in her corner. "So what was wrong with an Applebee's or something? I mean, even a McDonald's woulda been better."

Sam laughed, and Dean just shook his head. "Never had McDonald's, never will."

"Never?!" Danielle gasped. "What kind of childhood did you have?"

"You really want me to answer that?" Dean asked, cocking an eyebrow.

Sam was distracted by something behind Danny. He furrowed his brow, sharing a glance with Dean. "Adam?"

Danielle turned and followed their gazes to a - very attractive - confused young man. He looked to them and headed over.

Danny's face flushed scarlet, and she quickly hid her face, trying to get herself under control. Not for the first time, she inwardly kicked herself for being so awkward around cute boys. Sam and Dean were no exception, of course, but because of her dreams long before meeting them, she had gotten somewhat used to them.

"Sam and Dean?"

The brothers nodded, and Danielle scooted closer to the wall to allow Adam some room.

"Um, so how did you know my dad?" Adam asked.

"We worked together," Sam answered.

Adam casted a nervous glance around the table, and Danielle did her best to ease his concern by shooting him a small smile. She listened and watched as they interrogated Adam, and he passed all the supernatural tests with flying colors. They went back to Adam's house, examining the crime scene.

Danielle knelt down next to the bed, staring underneath the mattress where Adam's mother had disappeared. She crossed her arms, propping her chin on her hands as she tried to find any clue as to where the woman had gone.

Dean kicked Danielle's foot, and she jerked up, ramming her head against the bed frame. She hissed in pain, rolling onto her back and glaring at Dean for a second before laughing with him. "I hate you," she pointed out, turning back over onto her stomach.

"Watch out for the dust bunnies, princess," Dean warned, chuckling. "They bite."

"So do I," she retorted, shooting him a smile over his shoulder. She went back to staring, noticing a small piece of fuzz. She furrowed her brow at it, squeezing more under the bed. The fuzz drifted up and down and in lazy circles, never once touching the ground. Almost as if there was a ...

"Guys, there's a draft," Danielle stated, sidling out from under the bed and standing up. She pushed against the bed, making it slide a foot or so. Sam came over and helped pull it aside, revealing a small air vent in the floor. Cool air rose up from the hole, accompanied by the smell of wet moss.

"If anyone here likes enclosed, dark spaces, now would be the time to speak up," Dean said, glancing around at their crew. "Danny?"

She snorted, shaking her head. "Never in my life."

"Wait, you aren't actually gonna go down there?!" Adam demanded, his eyes wide.

"See that?" Sam asked, pointing to a dark spot on the wood. "That's blood."

"So you think ... My mom's down there?!"

Sam and Dean did rock, paper, scissors, which Dean lost - not surprising, according to Sam. Danielle stood quietly until Dean came back, quietly announcing he'd found evidence of his mom. They called the police and bailed before they could show.

They were only at their motel room for an hour or so before Adam showed up, demanding answers. Despite Dean's protests, Sam gave his half-brother all the information he wanted.

When Dean stormed out of the room, Danielle followed, figuring she could help with damage control.

"Dean!" she called. The man kept going, ignoring her. "Dean, slow down!" She jogged to catch up to him.

He finally whirled around. "What?" he snapped.

She flinched at his sharp tone, grimacing. "What's wrong?"

"What's wrong?" he repeated. "How about the fact that this kid pops in out of the blue, claiming to be our brother? You see, Sam- He has no problem believing whatever that kid says. It's a trap! No one just trusts that easily!"

"I do," Danielle answered, squinting in the setting sun's harsh light. The sun made her hair turn russet, and her eyes glowed auburn.

"Yeah- Well- You're ... you!" Dean shot back, clearly at a loss of what to say. "Things are different with you!"

"Yeah," Danielle agreed, sitting on the hood of their car. "Everything about Adam checks out, though."

Dean gritted his teeth. Her annoyingly sweet, patient voice of reason was driving him up a wall. He just shook his head, opening the door. "Get in the car."

* * *

**Uh oh... Danny's getting blackmailed... Do y'all agree with anything she's doing? Or do y'all think she's just struggling? XD**

**Thanks for all the favorites and follows! A special thanks for all the reviews; those are the best *HINT HINT* (;**

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**Swanny29: Omg thank you so much (': I didn't even feel like I wrote it that well, but I guess I did good enough XD Hahaha thank you!**


	7. Chapter 7

**... Yes, I am posting the day after I posted the last chapter. Judge me? **

**Lol guys I just can't. I just wan't y'all to be caught up (I already finished this story and am on chapter 12 of the sequel) because I'm just having a lot of feels okay... I just started crying): So... Be prepared for Chapter 12 of the next story! **

**Hahaha I don't really even know. ENJOY (:**

* * *

Chapter 7

Danielle the Cowardly Prophet

After going to check out the tomb where the bodies had been snatched and swinging by a bar - much to Danielle's despair; Dean kept trying to make her drink - they went back to the motel.

"What ... " Danielle furrowed her brow, leaning forward and trying to figure out what was happening. Sam and Adam seemed to be running towards Adam's car. "Something's wrong-" She stopped as Sam was suddenly yanked off his feet, being pulled under the car.

Dean slammed on his brakes, jumping out of the vehicle and grabbing Sam. Danielle could only muster enough bravery to climb out of the car, standing behind the protection of the door.

"You okay?" Danielle questioned once it was clear the creature was gone.

"I'm fine," Sam grunted, rising to his feet. He staggered a bit, scowling at his legs. He noticed how she was still behind the car door, her knuckles white from clutching onto the metal. "You're okay," he assured. "The thing is gone."

Danielle just nodded, slowly coming away from the car.

Their little entourage headed back to Adam's house to gather his stuff before going out to the woods to give Adam some gun practice.

"You know, I should really learn how to shoot too," Danielle pointed out, wrapping her jacket tighter around her. It was late in the winter, and she was not enjoying being out in the cold.

"Yeah we'll get to it," Dean commented, his narrowed eyes focused on Sam and Adam.

Adam shot three bullets, all three close to hitting the bullseye. Sam grinned, clapping his half-brother on the back. "Dude, you're a natural!"

Dean scoffed, shaking his head and looking away.

"Dean-" Danielle said condescendingly.

"Don't start," he snorted.

"You don't have to be jealous," Danielle told him. "Sam could never like him more than you."

"I'm not jealous," Dean retorted almost as if the notion were comical.

"Really?" she questioned, raising her eyebrows up to the brim of her furry hat.

"Really," Dean answered. Danielle kept her concerned gaze on him. He rolled his eyes, pulling her hat down over her eyes. "Stop looking at me like that, princess."

She smiled, pushing the hat back up to its normal position. She suddenly scowled, her eyebrows pinching up.

"You okay?" Dean asked.

She raised a hand to her temple, rubbing her head. "Uh- yeah, I'm fine. It's just a headache." The jovial light in her eyes had disappeared with a dreading bleakness.

"Like the ones before your visions?" Dean questioned.

The foreboding expression on her face was all he needed in answer.

They returned to Adam's house, where Danielle sat with Adam and Sam at the table. Dean was watching from a distance, and Danielle kept glancing at him. It was horrible that he was doing this to himself; all he had to do was come over and join them. He was stopping himself.

"So, how did you get into this?" Adam asked, looking at Danny. "Sam said you aren't my sister."

"No," Danielle answered, smiling sadly at the guy. "I'm a prophet."

Adam's eyes widened, and his jaw dropped. "A prophet? So you can, like, see the future?"

"Yeah," she answered. "The demons took my family, so now I'm with these idiots trying to track them down." She shot Sam and Dean a wide smile to show he was joking.

"Wow. I'm sorry," Adam responded.

"It's no big deal," Danielle replied, waving her hand.

Sam and Dean furrowed their brow, and Adam echoed their thoughts: "No big deal?"

"I just gotta have hope that God'll keep them safe," Danielle said, a melancholy smile resting on her face.

Adam blinked in surprise, Sam frowned, and Dean shook his head. This girl was deluding herself; if there was a God, he for sure wasn't with her family. The video and her dead sister gave all the proof to that.

"You got friends? A girlfriend?" Sam asked. Adam nodded. "Not anymore, you don't. And that's exactly why." - he motioned towards Danielle - "They're weaknesses. If something wants you, it'll go after you friends first. You can't trust anybody. Except family."

"Sam, can I talk to you?" Dean demanded loudly, interrupting Sam's speech. Sam cocked his jaw before nodding and following his brother into the other room.

"This must be a lot for you," Danielle stated.

Adam sighed, shaking his head. "It's not easy."

"You're in good hands," Danielle reassured, nodding. "Sam and Dean ... They're pretty awesome."

"If demons have your family, what are you doing here? Helping me?" Adam asked.

"Like I said, I have faith," she answered, fiddling with her gloves.

"How? I mean, it can't be easy to believe in God after all this."

"I just do," Danielle replied, frowning at the table. Right now, it was the demons she was putting her faith in. It made her sick to her stomach; she was keeping something from Sam and Dean, but she needed time to think about her course of action. Plus, she was afraid to talk to them in case they were being watched.

Dean suddenly stormed into the kitchen, snatching up his coat. "You okay?" Danielle asked, standing up.

"Fine!" he barked over his shoulder, slamming the front door behind him.

Danielle flinched, sharing a wide-eyed look with Adam before turning to Sam, who was standing in the doorway. He hopelessly shook his head, sighing.

Danielle opened her mouth to say something before a particularly violent bout of pain shot through her head. She clamped her jaw, squeezing her eyes shut and grabbing her head. She ignored the calls of her name, easing back down into the chair.

"Bring me my bag," she moaned, the pressing weight in her brain making her sick.

Sam complied, dropping her purse in front of her.

"Water," she whispered, digging through her bag and pulling out her Advil PM bottle. She uncapped it, taking the glass of water from Sam and downing three.

"Uh..." Adam said, watching carefully. "Isn't that dangerous?"

"I'll be fine," Danielle returned, slowly standing up. Sam came to her side, helping her into the living room and laying her down on the couch. She grabbed the nearest blanket, closing her eyes and snuggling under the throw. It only took a few minutes before she sank into her visions of the future.

* * *

"Adam really was your brother."

Danielle inhaled slowly through her nose, a metallic stench filling up her senses. There was a sense of urgency; something that she knew she had to do...

"You should know that."

Wait, that was a woman's voice ...

"He was still alive when we took our first bites."

That was Adam. But, wait, he was a ... Danielle's eyelids fluttered open as she finally remembered her vision. In her desperate, disoriented scramble to her feet, she fell off the couch, knocking a lamp off of the nearby table.

She grunted, her vision swimming as she staggered up to her feet. She clutched onto the couch, staring into the next room, where she could see several dark shadows.

Ghouls. She had to get out of there. Danielle turned, searching desperately for the back door.

Adam was standing right in front of her. She gasped, her heart sputtering in her chest. A lazy grin spread across his face. "G'morning, sleeping beauty," he greeted.

Danielle stumbled backwards, running into the horror of the other room, where Sam was strapped down onto a table. He had several cuts on his arms, and another ghoul was standing near him, blood smeared across her lips.

"We've been waiting for you to wake up," she stated, grinning and exposing her blood-stained teeth.

"You can't hurt her, remember?" Adam said, coming into the room behind her. "She's got that damn angel with her." He suddenly grabbed her, yanking her to his body. His breath reeked of flesh, and Danielle whimpered, struggling to get away. "But that doesn't mean we can't give you over to the demons. We'll get hundreds of humans to feed off of. A whole town."

"An All-You-Can-Eat buffet!" exclaimed the woman excitedly. She clapped her hands together. "Ugh, I can't wait. But first, we should get poor Sammy out of the way."

Adam roughly released Danielle, and she fell, staring up at Sam. His wrists were slashed, and he was quickly bleeding out. She could only watch as the ghouls took bite after bite of Sam, absolutely horrified.

Even when Dean showed up and took out both of the ghouls, she could only watch, teary eyes stretched wide. Dean helped Sam up, untying him and handing him a towel.

"Hey, Danny, we could use a doctor," Dean stated.

Danielle didn't respond, frozen in complete terror.

"Danny?" Dean questioned, turning and looking at the girl cowering in the corner. "Danny, it's alright now." Danielle still didn't move. "Fine. Just sit there."

Eventually Danielle rose unsteadily to her feet, swaying on her legs. She was quiet as Sam and Dean heaved Adam's body into the trunk as they headed out into the woods. She followed numbly into the woods, where they set their half-brother's corpse on fire.

"What happened to your arm?" Sam asked, frowning at the purple bruises on her tan skin.

She glanced down at it. "He grabbed me."

"Are you okay?" he questioned, the flames shining on his face. Dean watched her expression carefully from her other side.

"What do you think," she whispered. Her gaze was cast downwards, and she made her way back to the car, where she sat in silence.

You always think you're gonna be different. When put in a life-or-death situation, you always expect that you'd come out on top. You'll grab a gun, put a bullet in your enemy's chest and save the day. But you never know how you're going to be until you're in that situation. Some people, like Sam and Dean, fight back. It's instinctive; it was drilled into them since they were born. And some people, like Danielle, freeze up. When put into a pressured situation, they completely tense and panic. It's easy to pretend you're some great and mighty hero just because you know about the things in the dark, but does the knowledge really mean anything if you're too scared to do anything with it?

* * *

The demons had her running in circles. She was their little puppet. Not only did she have to give them detailed descriptions of her visions, but she also had to tell them about the cases the boys went on. But this ... This was too much.

_Doll face,_

_We want you to be our own double-agent. How exciting!_

_You're going to set up a trap. Don't worry, no one will be hurt. We just want to have a little chat with the boys. The violence of our talk will be determined by them._

_Tell them you had a vision, and someone's going to die. Well, I'm sure you don't need my help coming up with an excuse; you did get a full-ride to Duke._

_Xoxo_

"I've got dinner," Dean announced, stepping into Bobby's rickety house.

The current inhabitants of the house practically ran to the kitchen, excluding Danielle. She sat curled up on the decaying couch, a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. She was chewing on her hangnail, her eyebrows furrowed in concern as she stared at the laptop screen.

Dean nearly walked right past her, but he backtracked into the room. "You okay?" he asked, watching her carefully.

She looked up at him, her eyes rimmed red. "Uh ... yeah, I'm fine."

He raised his eyebrows, setting the bags of food down on the desk. "Danny," he said, stepping closer to her. She shifted nervously, and he didn't miss how she was hiding the monitor screen. "You're lying."

The others had picked up on the conversation, easing cautiously into the room. Danielle shook her head, eyes wide as she carefully avoided everyone's gaze. She looked around, her chest heaving as her breaths came in shorter, faster spurts. She stood up, peeking out through the blinds.

"What's going on?" Bobby demanded.

Danielle went over to the desk, snatching up a sticky note pad. She quickly scrawled 'No talking. Panic room' and showed it to everyone.

Bobby and Sam were the first to go down the stairs, leaving Danielle and Dean to hurriedly shut the blinds around the house.

"What's going on?" Dean growled, grabbing Danielle's arm.

She instantly hushed him, grabbing the laptop and following him down into the basement. Maybe she was overreacting, but she was going to take every precaution to make sure they weren't overheard.

Dean shut the panic room door, and Danielle opened up the laptop. She pulled up the first email from a week ago and handed it to Dean. He sat down at the table, and Sam and Bobby read over his shoulder.

"What is this?" Sam asked, eyebrows furrowed.

"Just read," Danielle stated.

The veins in Dean's forehead increasingly got larger, before he finally burst out, "What the hell, Danny?!"

"Don't yell at me," Danielle winced, sitting down on the cot. "You read them, right? They promised to protect my family."

"They're demons, Danny!" Dean barked, rising to his feet. "I'd be surprised if your whole family isn't already slaughtered!"

A horrified chill ran down Danielle's spine, but she ignored it.

"Dean!" Sam hissed, and Dean realized the harshness of his words.

"Look," Dean started, running a hand over his face and licking his lips. "Don't ... The demons ... They keep their deals, sometimes."

"You said to trust you," Danielle said. "So ... What do you want me to do?"

Dean huffed, shaking his head. Sam ran his hands through his hair, leaning back in his seat and Bobby readjusted his cap.

"What if we went along with it?" Danielle asked, pushing her chocolate waves behind her ears. "I mean- w-we could trap them trapping us!"

"That's crazy!" Sam exclaimed. "There's too much risk!"

"There's always gonna be risk!" Danielle retorted, her voice becoming shrill with the intensity of the conversation.

"She's gotta point," Bobby stated.

"She does," Dean added. "We play along with the demons, make them think Danny's on their side, and then we ambush them where they were going to get us!"

"I should email him back now," Danielle stated, taking a seat at the table and pulling the laptop over to her. "He starts threatening if I don't respond immediately."

Danielle was a little too aware of Dean leaning over her shoulder to examine the screen. His fingers curled around the top of her chair, brushing against her back. She cleared her throat, subtlety leaning forwards and trying not to blush.

"Tell him okay," Dean instructed.

Danielle typed in a quick okay with a when and where. She started chewing on one of her hangnails, sitting as far up as possible without being too obvious. The response came back almost instantaneously.

_Fantastic!_

_Get them to meet us at 1178 Slater Street, Monroe, Michigan. And make sure it's just the two imbeciles. I'd hate to have an archangel crashing the party._

_Adios!_

"There'll be more than one," Danielle announced, pointing at the screen. "He said 'us' instead of 'me'. Does that help?" she questioned, tilting her head back to see Dean, hoping that this might help patch up the situation.

"Yeah," Dean responded, patting her shoulder. "Good job. We better get going."

Danielle smiled, closing the laptop and handing it to Sam. She darted up the stairs, packing her bag for a couple days and heading back towards the front door. She jumped in the car, and they were off.

* * *

"So, one more time, what's the plan?" Sam asked, shoving his gun into his belt.

Dean copied his brother's movements, loading up on weapons. "You and me go in, see what they have to say. Then when we give Danny the signal, she'll come running in and down comes Archy."

Danielle shivered, crossing her arms tightly and blowing out a small cloud of fog. "I have to stand out here by myself?" she questioned, throwing a wary glance around the dark parking lot. The huge processing plant looming over them and the one flickering street lamp on the other end of the lot didn't ease her fear any.

"You'll be fine," Dean promised. "Don't be a baby."

He clapped her on the back, and she glared up at him as Sam closed the trunk. "You ready?" he asked his older brother.

"As I'll ever be," Dean responded, and the two headed into the building, leaving Danielle alone.

She started pacing, picking at her hangnails nervously. Though the action hadn't even started, her heart was hammering against her ribs, and she struggled to breathe.

She turned around, gasping and stumbling back when she saw a familiar angel facing the building. "Castiel," she greeted, trying to calm herself down. "What are you doing here?"

"I could sense your distress," he stated, slowly swiveling his head towards her. "What are you doing here?"

Danielle pulled her hair up in a ponytail before walking over to his side and turning to face the building. "We're hunting demons," she told him, frowning. "I have to ... run in there and get my angel to come down."

"Why are you afraid?"

"Because ... T-They're demons," she stammered. "I have to go in there, with them."

Castiel stared at her, his eyes a piercing blue. She glanced at him and quickly looked away. "It sounds really bad, but ... the angel scares me," she confessed in a whisper. "I know, it's ridiculous, but he's really ... "

"The archangel's purpose is to keep you safe," Castiel stated. "They would never hurt you; it's against God's will."

"I know, but - "

A deafeningly loud gun-shot split the air, making Danielle jump in surprise. The color drained from her face, and her hands began to tremble. "That's my cue," she said, though she made no attempt to move.

"Are you going to go?" Castiel asked.

Danielle swallowed but didn't answer, her breath pooling out in small clouds of fog. "C-Can't you just go? You're an angel; you c-can take care of it!"

Castiel looked back at the building. "No."

Danielle glanced at him before nodding, steeling herself with a deep breath and heading towards the building. She made it to the rusty door, looking back over her shoulder only to see an empty parking lot. She whimpered, exhaling slowly and opening the door.

As soon as she stepped into the vast room, the walls started shaking. Sam and Dean quickly ran towards the half-dozen demons, pulling out chains from their pockets and swiftly incapacitating as many as they could. Light started pouring through the windows, and Danielle fell to her knees from the tremors rocking the building. Screams started to fill the air as the untied demons fled their bodies.

"Go, Danny!" Sam shouted, and Danielle staggered to her feet, shoving open the door and falling onto the pavement outside. Silence filled the air, the light diminished, and the earth went still again.

Her ears ringing, Danielle used the wall as a support and rose unsteadily to her feet. She watched as Sam and Dean hauled two of the demons into the trunk of their car before heading over.

"Well you sure took your sweet time showing up," Dean accused, though not angrily.

"Sorry. I was talking to Cas," she answered sheepishly, the three of them climbing into their appropriate seats in the vehicle.

"Cas?" Sam questioned. "What was he doing here?"

Danielle shrugged. "He just wanted to talk."

* * *

**So... actual Cas and Dan scenes what? Haha (;**

**Poor Danny... such a coward ):**

**Lol thanks so much for the favorites and follows!**

**Emilyrose475: Me too, man... I think I'll just write about her and the boys joking around all the time? Hahaha just kidding! And I know haha.. Thank you so much!**

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**ENJOY, R&R**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey y'all! Here's the next chapter.. After this one, there's two more full chapters, and then the epilogue! Yay!**

* * *

Chapter 8

The Wise Words Of God's Chew Toy

They returned to Bobby's house, where Dean tied up the two demons downstairs in the basement. He'd gathered a hefty collection of holy water and salt and attempted to leave without a word.

"Wait," Danielle interjected, jumping between him and the stairs. His lips were pressed together in a grim line, and his eyes were dark. "Dean, you can't do this."

"I have to," he responded, stepping around her and making it down the first few steps.

"No," she demanded, grabbing his elbow. "I know about what you did in Hell," she whispered. "You _can't_ do this. It'll mess you up."

Dean shook his head. "I have to," he repeated, his voice strained. Danielle sighed as he pulled away from her grip and headed down the stairs.

The brunette went over to the couch, grabbing the Demon Encyclopedia and continuing where she left off.

She made notes in her own journal, which Bobby incessantly teased her about. She had everything color-coded and perfectly organized in her journal, with sketches and pictures to boot.

Sam plopped down beside Danielle, handing her a Dr. Pepper, which Sam and Dean were quickly beginning to realize was her life line. He opened a beer for himself, peering over her shoulder at the book. "Is that your journal?"

Danielle nodded, her tongue protruding from the corner of her lips as she quickly started neatly writing some facts from the Demon Encylopedia.

"More like the OCD Guide to Demons," Bobby called from his desk.

Danielle's journal was more of a collection of facts on different creatures. She had them alphabetized, but none of them had more than two pages- except for the demons. The entries for demons went on for pages. She scribbled down every weakness, every strength, every sign, every detail. She refused to miss anything that might give them an edge.

"Oh, shut up, Bobby," Danielle remarked, her lips curled up into a smile. "I just like-"

She was interrupted by a loud screech of pain. Her eyes widened hugely, and she jumped up, trying to think through the fog of panic.

"It's just the demons," Sam reassured.

Danielle didn't quite relax, but she sat back down. She ignored Sam and Bobby's unceasing chatter, listening to the pain-filled screams from the basement. She chewed nervously on her lip, her stomach tied in tight knots.

Finally, she couldn't take it anymore. She quickly went down the stairs, stepping into the basement.

The metallic stench made her stomach churn. She swallowed several times to keep from puking, looking at the demons.

She could only manage a glance; the mangled bodies were drenched in blood. It was something out of a horror movie.

Dean turned around, grasping the demon-killing knife in his hand. "What, Danny?"

"Stop, please?" she said timidly, though it sounded more like a question than an order.

"Stop?" Dean repeated, his eyebrows raised in surprise. "Have you lost your mind?"

"No. This is wrong, Dean-"

"Wrong?! How is this wrong? They're _demons_. They kill just for the sake of killing."

"We don't have to stoop to their level," Danielle retorted, shaking her head.

"Listen to the nice man, princess," one of the demons croaked, raising his head. "This is strictly demon-hunter business."

"We don't need God's chew toy defending us," the other demon added, flipping her matted hair out of her eyes.

"Dean, please."

"You wanted us to find your family! Well, we're doing it!"

"Find another way!" Danny begged. "You don't have to torture!"

"Go, Danny," Dean instructed, turning away from her and going back to the man demon.

Danielle was stunned. She'd been treated like a child all her life; she was used to it. Something about being the naive, innocent Jesus freak made people think she was stupid and could be taken advantage of. But never by Sam or Dean. They'd always seemed to respect her and her decisions.

"Dean-" she started.

He ignored her, grabbing a fistful of the demon's hair and yanking his head up. "Where's her family?"

Danielle, tears of rage brimming in her eyes, gritted her teeth and went back up the stairs.

"You okay?" Sam questioned. The two of them had heard the whole discussion from the basement; it wasn't hard to miss Dean's voice.

"Please get him to stop," Danielle pleaded. "He can't do this. It's not right."

"They're demons, Danny," Bobby reminded, his gruff voice as gentle as it was going to get. "They aren't human. They deserve this."

"No one deserves this," Danielle answered, flinching as another scream erupted from downstairs. She shook her head, turning and walking out of the house.

She hated South Dakota. It was only November, and it was already cold enough for thick winter coats. In Tennessee, she wouldn't have even been thinking about putting up her summer clothes. She didn't even want to think about the temperature in the winter. Hopefully they'd find her family before it got too cold.

What if they were already dead? The video on the laptop was already weeks old. They could've been killed in the first week.

Danielle quickly jumped off that train of thought, shaking off the foreboding feelings. If there was one thing she was good at it, it was controlling her thoughts. If she didn't want to think about something, she didn't have to.

"Danny."

Danielle turned to see Sam standing in the doorway, holding open the door. "He's done."

Danielle nodded, ducking under his arm and stepping into the house. Dean came to the top of the stairs, wiping his bloody hands on a towel. He caught sight of her, and his eyes narrowed. "They're in Missouri," he sneered, stalking past her and into the living room.

Danielle stood, stunned at his icy tone. Just because she'd defended a demon, she deserved to be treated like one?

"Don't worry about him," Sam consoled, speaking her thoughts.

Danielle sighed, shaking her head.

* * *

7 Hours Later

They checked into the motel, dropping off all of their stuff.

"Danny, are you okay if we stay and get some sleep?" Sam asked. "We'll start searching for your family in the morning."

Danielle frowned. She was just as tired as they were, and she was still willing to keep going. Nevertheless, she wasn't the one who had to fight the demons. "I guess that's fine," Danny answered reluctantly; the confusion and hesitancy was clear in her voice.

"Look, you can research the address and see what's there," Sam instructed, offering her something to do. He knew she wouldn't be able to sit idly by, twiddling her thumbs; who would?

"What if they find out we're here and leave?" Danielle asked, sitting down at the table with Sam, who pulled out his laptop.

Dean shared an uneasy look with Bobby. "We'll just...have to take it on faith," Dean responded.

Danielle, pale, nodded and looked at the monitor in front of her. Sam patted her on the back. "Wake us up in four hours, okay?"

She nodded again, offering him a faint smile. Sam and Dean stayed in the room with her while Bobby went in the other one. For Danielle, they kept one of the lamps on, but the dim light didn't do much to assuage her fears.

* * *

"It's a museum," Danielle reported in the afternoon when she woke them up. "It's right in the heart of the city, too."

"What are the hours?" Sam asked, tying his shoes.

"Nine to ten," Danielle answered, pinning her bangs back with a bobby pin. "There's four floors, so I figured each of us could take a separate floor."

She followed as their group headed out of the motel room, piling into the Impala. "No, we'll pair up," Dean retorted, shaking his head. "You and me'll take the top two, and Sam and Bobby can take the bottom two."

"Is there a basement?" Sam asked from the passenger seat.

"Yeah, the two bottom floors are both basements. The lower one is for storage and stuff."

"Alright," Sam answered, sharing a glance with Dean.

Danielle knew they both figured her family was in the lowest floor; she wasn't an idiot. But in all honesty, she was okay with them taking the bottom floor. If it was too late, she didn't want to be the one to find her dead family.

After much difficulty - Dean blamed it on Danielle being horrible at giving directions; Danielle blamed it on Dean being horrible at listening - they finally made it.

"It's gonna be hard to fight with security guards and civilians everywhere," Sam stated as they clambered out of the car.

"We can't break in," Danielle retorted. Of course, she didn't know how well the brothers had refined their breaking-and-entering skill.

"No, Danny's right," Dean supported. "It'll be easier this way. Less risky."

"Well, boys (and girl)- let's get 'er done," Bobby said, and the entered the museum.

Dean and Danielle parted from Sam and Bobby, making their way up the flight of stairs. "How are they gonna get to the basement?" Danielle asked. "It's probably an employee-only area."

Dean shrugged nonchalantly. "They'll steal some uniforms, I'm sure," he answered.

Danielle's eyes widened. "Oh my gosh, you two are for real criminals."

"Hey, we save lives," Dean protested, jabbing an accusing finger at her. She batted his hand away, her stomach tying itself into knots. She tried to distract herself by gazing at the paintings (they were on the art floor), but her nervousness only grew.

"So what are we looking for?" Danielle asked quietly, discreetly staring at everyone they passed.

"Anything. Sulfur, someone being suspicious, etc."

Danielle nodded, her throat constricting. She was terrified that they would actually find something, but she was equally scared that they wouldn't find anything.

"Hey," Dean muttered, nudging his shoulder against hers to get her attention. "We'll find them. Don't worry."

Danielle just nodded, chewing her lip while she fiddled with her fingernails. "If they were here, wouldn't the angel be here by now?"

"I don't know," Dean grunted, glancing down at his phone as he got a text. "Maybe his radar's a little off." He shot her a smirk, pocketing his phone.

"Did they find anything?" Danielle whispered as they made it to the stairs.

"No," he answered. "They're heading down to the storage now."

Danielle nodded, nervously fisting her hands in her loose long-sleeved shirt. They were on the world history floor now, complete with random, trivial artifacts the museum had picked up over the years. Danielle was too nervous to even enjoy the exhibits.

"Hey," Danielle muttered, nudging Dean with her elbow. She nodded at the woman standing ahead of them next to the wax figure of Atila the Hun. The woman kept throwing glances their way and fidgeting with her purse. "She looks suspicious," Danielle whispered.

Dean nodded, and as they got closer, they started noticing her bulging muscles, broad shoulders, strong jawline. Finally, the woman turned and passed by them.

Danielle went cherry red, focusing her attention straight ahead. She pressed her trembling lips tightly together, and she could see Dean was doing the same.

"Or he," Danielle whispered, and the two of them burst out laughing.

"I don't know who he/she was checking out- you or me!"

"Stop!" Danielle whined, hitting his arm. "Okay, we shouldn't be laughing." She struggled to contain her giggles.

"Why not?" Dean demanded, still grinning.

"It's mean!" she protested. He kept smiling, and she finally cracked, rolling her eyes and grinning. "We are horrible people."

"Maybe, but at least we have fun," Dean retorted. His smile dropped, and his brow furrowed as something caught his eye. Danielle followed as he strode over to the Romans, crouching and sticking his fingers in some yellow powder at the base of the exhibit.

"Sulfur?" Danielle asked.

Dean nodded, and the color drained out of her face. They made it to the end of their floor without finding anything else. Sam and Bobby ran into them on the ground floor, reporting they'd found nothing but sulfur.

Danielle's phone buzzed, and she pulled it out of her pocket, opening the text. As she read it, she turned a pale shade of green, handing the cell to Dean.

_'Dearest Danielle,_

_We're sincerely hurt about your betrayal. Sincerely. And so, now are your parents. You should really think twice about double-crossing us._

_Isn't it frustrating, always being one step behind? Sorry, I'll send your family your regards._

_Toodles!'_

"Hey, it'll be okay," Sam instantly comforted.

The ashen girl just shook her head, wide eyes focused on the ground. "We're stupid," she whispered.

"What?" Bobby asked, confused.

"We can't take on demons. They're _demons_!" She looked at them, terror shining in her watery eyes. "We're all gonna die."

Dean stubbornly shook his head, grabbing her arm and towing her outside. "Listen. You've only been doing this for a little over a month now; Sam and I have been doing this our whole lives. We've killed hundreds of demons; we've been in situations like this countless times."

"We know what we're doing, Danielle," Sam added.

"There's a reason these boys are the best damn hunters on this side of the Atlantic," Bobby stated.

Danielle just shook her head frantically, reaching up and grabbing the hair at her temples. Her breath came in short gasps, and she knew she was going to hyperventilate if she didn't calm down soon enough.

"What's happening?"

Danielle shrieked, catapulting herself forwards and _away_ from the voice that had suddenly appeared right behind her. Dean snagged her just before she nearly bowled Bobby down in an attempt to run. She reminded him of a deer as she spun around, wide chocolate eyes taking in the sight of Castiel calmly standing where she had been a second ago.

She relaxed, quickly stepping back from Dean. She handed her phone to the angel, who just stared blankly at it. "What… Am I supposed to be doing something with this?" he questioned, his brow furrowed deeply.

Danielle blinked, before a small smile started to spread across her face. "It's an email," she explained patronizingly. "You're supposed to read it."

"I still don't understand."

Danielle managed a giggle, going over and giving him a swift lesson on emails and cell-phones. He caught on fast and read the message quickly.

"Well, the demons are in the city, if that helps any," he stated, handing her the device back.

"What?" she demanded, glancing around at their group. "They're- Where are they?"

"I'm not positive," he responded stoically, squinting his eyes in the setting sun. "They have angel-warding sigils; it's impossible for me to pinpoint the location."

Danielle was bathed in the reddish glow; her mess of waves appeared a rich auburn, and her eyes shone a bright orange. "We should split up. We could canvas more of the city then."

"It'll take more than one night, Danielle," Dean stated after sharing a glance with Bobby and Sam. "You shouldn't expect us to find them right away."

"I don't care; we need to get started," she said firmly, nodding her head.

"Did you even get any sleep this morning, Danny?" Sam asked.

"No, but-"

"No buts," Bobby interrupted. "No ifs, ands, or ors either. Let's go. Let the idjits and the angel take care o' things." He stepped forward, ushering her away towards the car.

Her eyes were wide, and she tried to resist, but a warning look from Bobby was enough to still her efforts. She turned her pleading gaze on the three boys, her heart sinking in her chest. She couldn't deny the fact she was exhausted and running on fumes, but she had to look for her family. She trusted the boys, but if she really wanted results, she'd have to trust herself.

But what did she know about demons? Sam and Dean had been doing this their whole _lives,_ and they were with a freaking angel! Dean was right; she was inexperienced. She didn't even know where to begin looking.

So with a sigh, she begged the boys: "_Please_. Call me if you find _anything._" They nodded and parted ways, Bobby and Danielle heading back to the hotel where Danielle passed out on one of the beds much quicker than she expected.

* * *

**So what did y'all think? Thanks for all the favorites and follows! **

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	9. Chapter 9

**Hello all! Sorry about the shortness of this chapter... The next one'll be nice and long and full of angsty stuff, just like I'm sure y'all all ****_love_**** (;**

* * *

Chapter Nine

No Place For A Princess

4 Hours Later

The door burst open, and Bobby jumped awake, snatching the gun of the nightstand. He aimed it at the door, squinting and blinking as the intruder snapped on the harsh yellow lights.

Sam stormed into the room, eyes wide and hair disheveled. He swung his wild gaze around, shouting a curse and running his hands through his hair.

"What's wrong?" Bobby asked, setting the gun down and quickly clambering out of bed.

"Dean's gone missing," Castiel answered, striding in behind Sam.

"We were hoping he'd come back here!" Sam exclaimed. "You haven't heard from him?"

"No," Bobby retorted, grabbing his cell. He dialed Dean's number, but it went straight to voicemail. "Dammit," he muttered, shaking his head in aggravation.

Danielle turned over, squinting and scowling at them. "What's going on?" she mumbled, her voice low and raspy.

"We can't find Dean," Sam responded.

"What?" she asked, more to herself. She rubbed her eyes, turning over and glancing at the clock. She groaned – it was four in the morning – and sat up, leaning against the headboard. "Have you tried _calling _him?"

"Yes!" Sam retorted. "It goes straight to voicemail."

"Maybe his phone died," she answered, blinking several times in an attempt to get adjusted to the light.

"He's more careful than that," Sam shot back. "The demons have him."

Castiel's eyes suddenly widened, and he glanced up at Sam. "No. Alastair has him."

That woke Danielle up. She sat up, eyebrows up to her hairline. "He's real?" she whispered.

"What, you saw him?" Sam asked.

Danielle faintly nodded, her face devoid of any color. "We have to find him. _Now_."

"The building is angel-proofed; I can't locate it," Castiel stated.

"There's a thousand places he could be," Sam said in frustration, dropping down in the chair next to the table. He ran his hands through his hair.

"Can't we track his phone?"

"It's off. Plus, the demons probably destroyed it," Bobby answered. "So this Alastair demon, he's bad news?"

"That's an understatement," Danielle snorted, before immediately regretting her words. She glanced over at Sam, sighing. "We'll find him. They won't hurt him."

"Yes. They need him."

_For what? _Danielle wanted to ask, but she held her tongue. "How did they even find us? We _just_ got here!"

"It was a damn trap," Bobby muttered, shaking his head angrily.

"The museum?" Danielle questioned.

Sam groaned, punching the table and making Danielle flinch. "Dammit. We should've figured it out earlier."

"So how do we find him?" Danielle asked.

Sam just shook his head, staring intensely at the table. The stiffness in his shoulders suddenly melted away, and his gaze snapped up to hers. "Go to sleep!"

"Uh- What?" she questioned, confused at the random command.

"Go to sleep! If you have a dream, then you'll find out where he is!"

Goodness, he was smart. "But it doesn't always work like that. I can't just have these dreams whenever I want! I have to have the headaches and then…"

Sam glanced over at Castiel. "There's gotta be something you can do, man."

Castiel sighed. "I could try. There's no guarantee it'll work."

"Doesn't matter," Danielle and Sam said at the same time.

"Something's better than nothing," Sam added.

"Alright." Castiel stepped over to Danielle, holding out his hand. She frowned at it for a second before placing hers in his. As soon as she touched him, a searing pain erupted behind her eyes.

She gasped, trying to yank her hand away, but his fingers had morphed into unyielding steel. She struggled, gritting her teeth as her vision was brightening intensely. Her head _hurt_.

Castiel suddenly released her, and she dropped onto the bed, panting as the pain disappeared. "What… the heck…" she breathed, reaching up and massaging her sore temples.

"The head pains are essential to your premonitions. I gave you all of them at once."

"A little warning would've been nice," she scolded, sighing and getting under the covers. The pain had worn her out; she was exhausted. "Someone turn the lights off, please."

Sam obliged, plunging the room into darkness. Danielle gasped, sitting bolt upright. She couldn't see _anything. _"Turn a lamp on!" she demanded, only relaxing when light flooded the room again.

She sighed in relief, lying back against her pillow. She knew it was stupid to be scared of the dark, especially when she was with two strong, experienced hunters and an angel to boot, but she knew what kind of things waited in the dark now.

She didn't miss the anticipating stares of everyone in the room. "I cain't sleep with all o' y'all starin' at me!" she barked, her drawl thickening like it did whenever she was anxious or stressed.

"Sorry," they mumbled, all turning away and minding their own business.

Danielle rolled her eyes, smiling faintly and turning her back to them. She closed her eyes, waiting to fall asleep.

And, of course, now that she was desperately trying to sleep, she wasn't able to. She groaned in frustration, flipping onto her back. As soon as she moved, three pairs of eyes snapped eagerly back to her.

"Y'all don't have to be so quiet," she stated, reaching over and turning on the T.V. "I can sleep during anything."

"Shut up, and get to sleeping!" Bobby demanded.

Danielle smiled again, rolling back to face the wall and shutting her eyes.

* * *

Two Hours Later

"Should we wake her up?" Sam asked, frowning. She looked to be having an extremely bad nightmare; she kept tossing and turning and mumbling incoherently. Her usually smiling lips were pulled down into a deep scowl, and her brows furrowed. Her fingers kept clenching and unclenching the covers, and her whole body would randomly flinch or seize up.

"No," Castiel answered stoically, sitting at the table. He kept his steady gaze on the girl, waiting for her to wake. It was already 5:30, and they'd lost Dean around 3:00. He had to get Dean back immediately.

Suddenly, the sounds stopped, replaced by a quiet gasp. Danielle's teary eyes opened wide, and she rolled over onto her side, cupping her face in her hands.

Fearing the worst, Sam rose to his feet. "What? Danny, what'd you see?"

She shook her head, biting her trembling lip and squeezing her eyes shut. She desperately wanted to fall asleep again, to redo the prophecy. There was no way it would end like that. That wasn't fair.

"Danny, did you find Dean?"

Danielle ignored him, her whole body shaking in fear. It wasn't fair. It couldn't just end.

"Danielle!"

"I can't…" she whispered, clutching onto the sheets and pulling them up to her chin. She hiccupped a sob. "Can I have a minute, please?" she pleaded, trying her hardest to keep it together for a few seconds longer.

"Uh, yeah, I guess."

She waited until she could hear the door shut behind them before she broke down. She sobbed, trying to keep quiet enough for them to not hear her. But then she thought that Castiel could probably hear her because he was an angel, and that just set her off worse.

Let him hear her. She didn't care. Well, that was a lie. She did care, but not so much at that moment. What she really wanted was for him or for some angel to storm in and tell her what she saw wasn't true.

It couldn't be true. Why would God make her a prophet just to take it all away before she did anything substantial?

In all honesty, she'd been ecstatic to find out she was a prophet. She was going to be able to _help. _God had answered her prayers; she was blessed and able to help others in His name.

But He was taking all of it away before she got to save anybody.

She clenched her eyes shut, hot tears coursing down her cheeks as she began praying. She was crying so hard it was difficult for her to speak, but her halting, stammering whispers filled the air.

She knew she had absolutely no right to question God, but she begged for an answer anyways. She _needed _one. It wasn't fair for Him to do this to her or her family.

She ended with a faint "Amen" and started wiping at her tears. She couldn't just lay there feeling all woe-is-me. She'd seen Dean, and he was suffering. She owed it to rescue him.

Maybe that was all she would amount to. Maybe that was the sole reason she was put on this earth, to rescue Dean. Well, at least it meant more than diagnosing a kid with the flu.

She stood up, her hands trembling. She slipped into flip-flops, scrubbing at her wet cheeks and squaring her shoulders before stepping out of the hotel room.

"Let's go," she said, avoiding eye contact with anyone. She slid into the passenger side, facing stonily out the window. She carefully forced her mind clean, focusing solely on the image of the building.

"Where am I going?" Sam asked from the driver's seat.

"I saw a really big building, like a break-of-bulk point," Danielle stated quietly. "It was right next to the river, in East St. Louis."

"Well that makes sense," Sam muttered, pulling out of the parking lot. "Do you have anymore details? Anything else that would give us a hint?"

"Yeah, it was near the arch."

"Okay. Danny… were you crying, because…?" Sam trailed off, glancing at her anxiously.

"No, Dean's fine," she whispered, shaking her head. She stared out the window, watching the dark trees pass by. "We're all gonna be fine," she muttered morosely._ They _would be okay. However, _we _most definitely were not going to be fine.

_We_ might not even make it out alive.

* * *

**So ... Ridiculously short, I know.. Sorry!**

**And uh oh... Cliff hanger (;**

**megumisakura: Thank you!**

**Emilyrose475: Haha I'm sure this chapter didn't help any! (; Just wait until next chapter... All truths will be revealed (: Thank you for reviewing!**

**NotCrazyJustWeird97: Thank you so much! I was smiling so wide after I read your review, just sdfoaushfouhl. And yeah, Danny's something else! Thank you!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Lol guys strap on your seat belts because this one'll be a hard one.. Bring on the tears!**

* * *

Chapter 10

Sunset

They pulled up to the building and all clambered out of the car. It was extremely foreboding; all alone in the middle of the city, towering over the other buildings. It was backed right up to the river, Danielle was sure, for incoming boats to empty their loads into the center.

"They should be all the way in the back, down one flight of stairs. You'll have to go through a big set of doors," Danielle informed.

Sam nodded. "You should probably stay here with Cas."

"I wanna help!" she protested, shaking her head and making her curls bounce.

"You should stay," Castiel affirmed. "The building is covered in angel-warding sigils; the archangel won't be able to save you."

Danielle glanced at him for a second before nodding, giving up. "Alright. Be careful."

"Always are," Bobby returned gruffly. "We'll be back in a moment."

They headed away, leaving Castiel and Danielle alone. She went over and hopped up onto the hood of the Impala, looking eastward, where the sun was just starting to peek over the horizon. The sky was painted in a beautiful array of pink and light blue hues, making Danielle's heart ache.

This would be her last sunrise.

"Do you know what I saw?" Danielle questioned, interrupting the peaceful silence.

"Yes," he answered stoically.

She sighed, glancing down at the car. "Do you know why?" she whispered, her voice barely loud enough to be heard.

"It is not my place to question God."

"No, I know. It's not mine either, I just-" She broke off, taking a ragged breath. She turned her eyes skyward, tears brimming in the edges. "I wanna know why he gave me this gift just to take it away b-before I could do anything."

He was silent for a moment. "God works-"

"In mysterious ways," she finished, laughing softly. A tear slipped down her cheek, and she laughed again, shaking her head. "My last day on Earth, and I can't stop crying."

They were quiet for a little while, listening to the sounds of the city as it slowly came alive. Birds began to chirp, the faint hum of cars filling the background.

"At least He gave me a beautiful sunrise," she muttered, smiling faintly at the sun.

Castiel stared at her for a minute. She was truly strange; she was a coward in every way possible. She knew that, and so did he. But here she was, facing her death with as much courage as Dean. She wasn't begging for another way out, she wasn't praying to avoid her impending doom. She was … accepting it. And trying to think positively.

She was peculiar.

Not much longer, Bobby stumbled out of the building, supporting a near unconscious Dean. Danielle sprinted up to them, wrapping her arm around his shoulder and trying to help. They laid him out on top of the Impala's hood, where Castiel simply reached forward and touched his brow.

All of Dean's cuts and bruises blinked away, leaving him awake and alert. He grunted, jumping up to his feet and glancing at his hands. "Thanks, man," he stated, nodding at Cas.

"Sam's crossing out all the sigils," Bobby said. "We got Alastair locked up pretty tight in there."

"We're gonna get answers. _Real _ones," Dean added, his eyes flickering over to Danielle. He furrowed his brow. "You okay, princess?"

Danielle's eyes widened in surprise before realizing her eyes were probably red and puffy. She quickly averted his gaze, nodding. "I'm fine. It was just a scary dream."

"Alright," he muttered, though he didn't believe her. He patted her shoulder when he passed by, striding back into the building. The rest of them followed.

"You should probably wait here with Bobby," Dean stated, looking at Danny. "It'll be rough."

"I'm sorry you have to do this," Danielle whispered, turning her puppy-dog eyes on him.

"Hey, saving people is kind of my thing, in case you haven't noticed," he joked, smirking. "Trust me, kid, it'll be fine." He ruffled her hair, turning and disappearing deeper into the building with the angel.

If only he was right.

* * *

They were driving to Kentucky, where Danielle's family was tied up in some industrial building in the boonies. There would be four demons outside and a few more inside.

Sam had killed Alastair. With his _mind. _She'd seen that, too, in her dream, but she'd filed that under unimportant information. They'd gotten into a bit of a pickle – Alastair somehow escaped from his prison – and Dean had been knocked out. And Sam had proceeded to literally _squeeze _the demon out of the person, like pushing toothpaste out of its container.

And of course, Danielle knew exactly how she'd been getting his strength. She could tell that he thought she knew; he'd been anxious and edgy around her ever since it happened. But, though she disapproved, she didn't absolutely hate it. If it meant he killed Lilith and stopped the apocalypse, then she was completely on board with the demon blood diet.

Danielle had requested to stop at Chickfila – of all places – but they went along with it, especially considering her strange depressed mood. Dean tried several times to get the truth out of her whenever he was with her alone, but all she told him was that the prophecy had been frightening. No, of course you don't have to worry. Y'all will be okay. We'll be fine.

She hated lying.

The whole day, she was either: A. silent, B. marveling at random things, or C. being nostalgic. She would randomly giggle over the stupidest memories she could think of, and, because had the most infectious laugh any of the boy's had ever heard, they laughed as well.

But whenever the laughing finally trailed off, and the smiles slowly faded, Danielle's heart panged. Because she knew she wasn't making it out of this alive. She wasn't even sure if her family was going to make it.

She just had to have faith that God would provide her at least that satisfaction.

* * *

It was a painstakingly short trip. Several hours flew by, and Danielle suddenly found herself in a parked car, just after sunset, peering out the window at the huge industrial building.

They parked a good distance away, so the demons wouldn't be able to see or hear them. Everyone eagerly clambered out of the car, except for Danny.

It was time. All day, she'd managed to push away the very real truth. She'd managed to think of something else. She hadn't let it sink in.

But it was sinking in now. Panic froze her body, and she couldn't do anything but lean her head against the window and struggle to breathe. Oh, where had the time gone? It seemed like just moments ago they were in St. Louis, shaking with adrenaline from their fight with Alastair.

Now it was time for Danielle to die.

A sudden rap on the window made her jump in surprise. Dean leaned near the window, his brow furrowed. "Danny, you comin'?" he asked, his voice muffled through the glass.

She nodded faintly, stepping out of the car. Her legs were wobbly, and she used the vehicle to support herself as she came around to the front.

"Dan, you okay?" Dean questioned, staring at her. "You look like you saw a ghost."

"I'm fine," came the strangled, breezy response. She could hardly speak. No part of her body seemed to be listening; she was being guided by an autopilot without batteries.

"Alright, well Cas and I are gonna get the demons outside…"

She unfocused, swaying on her feet. She was barely standing. How was she supposed to even walk, let alone save her family, in her condition? She tried to force herself to not think about it. She wasn't going to die. She _wasn't._

Black dots appeared on the corners of her visions, and she huffed in exasperation. How the heck was she supposed to do _anything _if she was about to pass out?

There was no way she'd just lay down and let the rest of her family die. She'd already failed Sophie. She leaned heavily on the car, licking her lips and muttering the one verse that she always said whenever she got scared. Oddly enough, she could only remember the first few words, but it normally brought comfort.

"Though I walk through the valley in the shadow of death… Though I walk through the valley…" she breathed, staring at the ground.

"Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me," Castiel stated calmly, finishing her sentence.

Danielle's frightened eyes snapped up to his, and she tried to repeat him. Fumbling carelessly over her words, he said the verse again, and she echoed his words.

"Though I walk… thy rod…"

And then she _smiled._

She smiled and tilted her chin up, hot tears dripping down her cheeks. "Thank y'all so much for everything y'all have done. I appreciate it so much."

"Danny, what-" Dean started, but Danielle shook her head.

"Whatever happens next is _not _your fault. Please don't blame yourselves. Thank you." She shot them a watery smile, holding her shoulders back and heading towards the building.

"Wait!" Sam called, but Castiel stopped him.

"We can't change her future," the angel stated.

"We can at least help," Dean growled, pushing past Castiel and jogging to catch up with Danielle. Sam and Bobby followed the man up to the door, pulling out the demon knife and quickly slaughtering the four demons.

By the time they finished taking care of the demons, Danielle had already gone inside.

* * *

The building was eerily quiet; occasionally something would creak in the distance, which never failed to make the girl jump. She wrapped her arms around her waist, slowly making her way in the darkness.

Something started to rattle nearby, and Danielle glanced over to see a half-empty coke can trembling on top of a wood palette.

The shaking grew worse – the ground was violently trembling underneath them. A faint light started to fill the area, casting monster-shaped shadows all around the vacant building.

The archangel was coming.

"Dad! Carter, you here?" Danielle shouted.

"Danny?"

The terrified voice made the girl whirl to their left as a young woman appeared behind a tractor of some sort. Her long blonde locks were matted with dried blood, and her face was so covered in dirt that her freckles were indistinguishable.

"Carter," Danielle sobbed in relief, tears flooding her cheeks.

All of a sudden, Carter's wary shuffling turned in a confident strut. She tilted her chin up, flipping her curls behind her shoulders as if she were on a runway instead of in some dirty industrial building. She smirked, and she blinked, her blue eyes covered with an inky black. "Try again," she sneered.

Fury filled Danielle. How _dare_ that demon vermin crawl into her sister's body and then have the _audacity_ to stand in front of her?

"You better get of her," Danielle growled. "Or I swear-"

"You swear what?" Carter spat. "You're too sympathetic to kill me. Plus, your sweet little sister is still stuck inside, screaming for help."

"I'm not gonna kill you," Danielle promised, and it was true. The light had been growing in intensity during their short conversation. The angel would be there in just a little while.

But demons being _inside_ her family changed everything. The original plan had been to get them out of there before the demons got to them. The demons, instead, were inside of them. Which was actually quite genius.

And she realized that the archangel was coming down to kill the demons, which were in her family.

Danielle heard movement behind her and turned to see her dad and Gabby strolling forwards, their eyes as dark as Carter's. They formed a wide semi-circle around her and Sophie.

"You better stop your little angel," Gabby chirped. "Or else he's gonna kill your precious little family."

"I- I don't know how," Danielle breathed hollowly. The light was extremely bright by now, bright enough to hurt her eyes. She stumbled backwards, suddenly overcome with flashes from her nightmare.

Any second now.

Any seco-

Agony exploded in her stomach. She didn't have time to scream, didn't have time to react. Danielle's horrified eyes flickered up into the face of her mother, who grinned maniacally.

"Sorry, kiddo," she sneered, twisting the blade buried in her daughter's gut. "Gotta protect the family. I'm sure you understand."

Her mom shoved Danielle away, and Danielle crumpled to the ground. Her surroundings were starting to blur, and the light suddenly didn't seem so harsh. Far, far away she could hear someone's bloodcurdling screams. Somewhere deep inside her mind she knew the screaming came from someone important, someone she was supposed to protect, but she was _so _tired.

_This isn't so bad,_ she thought to herself, the faint, blurry form of a face hovering over her. She could feel something warm trickle from her lips, but she didn't care.

And then, all of a sudden, she was _hot. _For a second, her whole body burned, and a red-orange glow took over her vision.

It was quickly replaced with darkness.

* * *

Something tickled Danielle's nose.

She furrowed her brow, turning over onto her side to get rid of the annoying disturbance. She shivered a little, realizing it was cold and pulling the blankets up to her chin.

She laid there for a moment but was unable to go back to sleep. As she slowly became conscious, her memory came back.

She sat bolt-upright, chest heaving in terror. Her hand instantly went down to her gut, expecting to feel the warm liquid pooling under her shirt, but she didn't feel anything. Confused, she looked down, seeing that there was no blood. She pulled up her shirt, marveling at her healed skin.

She looked around, shocked to see she was lying in a bed. The comforter was a dark, inky blue, and the walls were painted a sky blue. Danielle frowned, glancing out the window. The blinds were tilted down, and she could just see out them. The city sprawled out under her, lights twinkling brightly in the night sky.

She turned her gaze back inside the room, slowly getting out of bed. Her feet met cool wood, and she stared in confusion at a small round table sitting in front of the kitchenette area. There was a deck of playing cards sitting on the top, and there were two chairs pulled neatly up to the sides. Beyond the table, in the kitchenette, an empty sonic cup sat on a counter. To her right, a couch sat in front of a small TV resting on a dresser.

She furrowed her brow, stepping closer to the white couch. She picked up the dark blanket, realizing that is was her favorite blanket, the one she always curled up with when she got sad. Thoroughly frightened, she set it back down, wondering where in the _heck _she was.

Her eyes lifted to the area beside the TV, and she felt her heart squeeze in her chest. Three pictures decorated the dresser, all contained in nice, antique-y frames. There was a picture of Dean, dressed in a nice button-up shirt, arm around the waist of a woman with curly, black hair wearing a purple dress. They were both smiling widely, Dean's other hand resting on the boy's shoulder in front of him. The boy looked a little annoyed to be taking a picture but was offering a wan smile anyways.

Danielle, more than a little freaked out, turned to the next picture, which was of her, Sam, and Dean. They were outside, in front of some building that suspiciously looked like a bank or other government building. Danielle was on the end, arms wrapped around Dean's waist and leg kicked up in the air as she fixed the camera with an overly enthusiastic smile. Dean was staring at the camera, chin dipped down as he fixed the lens with a steady stare. Though he wasn't smiling, he seemed to be fighting one; the corners of his lips were turned up. Sam was on the other side, smiling almost as widely as Danielle. The three of them, for once, didn't look heavily burdened. They actually looked happy, free of all the crushing weight on their shoulders.

Danielle stared closely at the next picture, scrutinizing it. It was a close up of her and _Castiel. _She didn't have her stupid, over-happy grin from the other picture; this one was a real, genuine smile. She had both of her arms wrapped around Castiel, but this time, it seemed much more intimate. There was none of the cheesiness in her picture with the Winchesters; she was actually holding her close to him. He was staring at her- no _gazing _at her, his blue eyes hooded as she looked down at her. The corners of his lips were pulled up into a tiny smile, and Danielle felt her breath hitch in her throat. Castiel was staring at her in a way that made all the blood rush to her head and her heart sporadically spazz in her chest. She'd seen that expression a few times: it was love. In this picture, Castiel was staring at her with so much love and tenderness shining in his eyes, Danielle felt like she had been stabbed in the chest. Her heart swelled to three times its size, and she looked at the photo with shock, exhaling softly.

What _were_ these pictures? How were they here? She'd never taken these pictures, _especially _not the last one! Whose apartment was this? Where _was she? _Where was her family?

"Hello?" Danielle called hesitantly into the darkness.

As the silence pressed down on her ears, she got the overwhelming feeling that something _was not right. _She furrowed her brow, her back touching the dresser behind her as she stared out at the room, trying to put a finger on it. It was almost like… she was _missing _something or _forgetting _something. And that something was enough to make her want to cry. It was something _so important, _and she couldn't even remember.

"D-Dean?" Danielle called nervously. "Mom? What is _happening?" _The last part was mumbled under her breath as she turned to glance at the door off to her right, next to the kitchenette area.

"You're dead."

Danielle leapt about five feet in the air, whirling around. A man was standing behind the couch, hands fisted inside his designer coat pockets. A wide, cocky smirk graced his features, and his whole posture reeked of arrogance.

"Dead?" Danielle repeated, in confusion. "So, what, _this_ is heaven?" This couldn't possibly be heaven. Where were the angels? Where were all the souls, hands in the air, worshipping and singing at the top of their lungs? Where was _God? _And why did she feel so awful? Sure, she wasn't in any pain, but she was terrified, shaking all over. She felt the ache in her chest at the desperate want to be with her family, and the emptiness caused by the thing that she was missing. Heaven was supposed to be painless; a castle in the clouds. Not some apartment room with half-drank Sonic cups and photographs of her that she'd never taken before.

"Oh, don't sound so disappointed," he stated, waving his hand in the air to dismiss what she'd said. "Well, then again, this is kind of drab. And … _lonely."_

The last word was said with such emphasis that it made Danielle suspicious. Was the thing she felt like she was missing … Was it a person? Was it… "You're not… Are you…?"

"God?" he asked, snorting a laugh. "No, but thanks for the compliment. You might know me; I've only saved your ass about a _hundred_ times now."

Danielle's brow furrowed, and she stared nervously at him. She'd never seen this guy before.

He shook his head in mock-shame, clucking his tongue. "Shame. Well, you definitely know my name. I'm Gabriel."

Danielle's stomach dropped to her ankles, and her jaw fell open. "Ga- Gabriel? Like… _the _Gabriel who spoke to Mary?"

"In the flesh," he retorted. "Don't worry; I'll give you an autograph later. Right now we gotta get you back."

"Back where?"

"To Earth, duh," he responded. "You're not done."

"What?" she questioned. "How am I not done? I'm _dead._"

"And in a few minutes, you won't be," he shot back. "Now come on, let's go. If we wait too long there won't be a body to go back to."

"You can… I'll be…"

"Alive? Yes, I can bring you back to life. It's an angel thing." He winked at her, stepping forward. "Ready, sweetheart?"

She stumbled backwards, shaking her head. "What about my family?"

"What about them?"

"You have to bring them back," she said. Wasn't it obvious? She couldn't be the only one to come back. He had to know she wouldn't be able to function without her family.

"Oh, please." He rolled his eyes, spreading his hands in exasperation. "People _die,_ sweetheart. Get over it! _You _have work to do. So chop-chop! Let's get to it!"

This couldn't be Gabriel. This _thing_ in front of her couldn't honestly be him. Angels were supposed to be graceful, trustworthy, protective, humble. Like Castiel ... sort of. Not this guy. He was the exact opposite.

"I'm not leaving without my family."

He stared at her for a moment before huffing in frustration. "Alright, alright. I'll bring your family back."

"You promise?" Danielle questioned.

"Cross my heart and hope to die," he returned, his smirk growing in size. "Let's go."

He stepped forward, and Danielle squeezed her eyes shut as he touched her temple.

* * *

Danielle's eyes snapped open, and she greedily sucked in a breath. Except, the air she was gasping wasn't really air; it was smoke.

She was sent into a coughing fit, rolling onto her side. The thick, black smoke clouded her vision, making it hard to see, but she could definitely see the bright flames covering the building.

The heat seared her skin, and she coughed again, unsteadily rising to her feet. She covered her mouth with the collar of her shirt, struggling to breathe as she stared in horror at the wreckage.

It looked like a bomb had gone off. Metal and wood and various machine parts were scattered everywhere; the ceiling was totally gone. The fire was quickly consuming everything in its sight.

Where was her family?

Danielle started moving around, kicking away wood palettes and pushing tires. She caught sight of something pale in the distance, and her heart caught in her throat. She quickly crawled over the wreckage, realizing it was a hand. She followed the arm, but the rest of the body was crushed under a tractor. She was too terrified to scream or cry or do anything but stare at the blood seeping around the body.

She leaned forward, using all of her feeble strength to push away the tractor. It wouldn't budge.

Danielle gave up on the tractor, falling to her knees and pushing away the wood and metal parts. She dug until she could see her mother's face. Her eyes were shut, and when Danielle reached down to feel if she had a pulse, she was met with the unmoving, slimy skin of her mom's neck.

Her mom was definitely not alive.

"Danielle!"

Danielle snapped her head up and took in the sight of a guardian angel- literally. She ignored him, sweat dripping down her brow as she staggered up to her feet. She swung her terrified gaze around the room, trying to find the rest of her family. She started coughing again from the smoke as the heat in the room became unbearable.

Castiel, however, was clearly unaffected, walking straight through flames to come over to the girl. "Come on," he ordered, grabbing her arm.

"No!" she argued, sputtering as smoke flooded her lungs. "My family! Gabriel – promised –"

A small explosion went off on the other end of the building. The shock wave knocked Danielle off her feet, slamming her painfully into the ground. The fire flared up, surrounding them. Castiel easily pulled her back to her feet.

Danielle's legs wouldn't support her; she crumpled again. Castiel swung her legs up, carrying her bridal-style.

She struggled, mumbling incoherently about her family. Gabriel had promised- they were going to come back to life. She had to be there to save him.

Castiel gracefully stepped out of the building, holding a limp Danielle in his arms. Danielle's head was spinning, and her stomach was aching from all the coughing.

Sam and Dean ran forwards as Castiel set Danielle on her feet next to the car.

"I have to go back," she muttered, stumbling back towards the building. She didn't care that the whole thing was completely covered in flames and she couldn't hardly see through the smoke; she had to find the rest of her family.

"Danielle, there are no more survivors!" Castiel exclaimed.

"No," Danielle growled when Castiel grabbed her arm to stop her. She weakly tried to get away, but she was no match for a human, let alone an angel. "Gabriel promised!" she wheezed, her breath coming in frantic gasps. The air was undoubtedly better out away from the fire, but there was still plenty of smoke in her lungs.

"There is no one breathing inside that building," Castiel argued.

"Gabriel promised!" Danielle repeated, still struggling. "He promi-

Her words were drowned out as the whole building exploded, knocking everyone down (except for Cas). Danielle's eyes watered, and she turned a horrified gaze up to the decimated building.

Danielle stared at the building in absolute horror. The roar of the fire seemed like a dull humming compared to the sound of the explosion. Soot and ash covered her skin, and burning debris was scattered around the area.

Her whole family had just exploded, leaving no trace of their bodies behind. They were nothing but ash.

Carter was alone in heaven. There was no telling about the rest of her family.

"My…" she whispered, tears running down her cheeks. How did this happen? _She_ was supposed to be the one to die; her family was supposed to be okay. Her family had to come out of the fire at any time.

"Gabriel promised!" she breathed, staring at the building. "He promised. He promis…" She trailed off, punching the ground with a wail. She didn't care that she was twenty-five and crying like a five-year-old who had their lollipop taken away. She didn't care that four people were watching her while she cried.

All she cared about was the fact that the young girl huddled on the ground was all that was left of her family.

* * *

**So, I'm just gonna go find myself a cliff now...**

**Hope you guys enjoyed it! No.. It's okay; I didn't enjoy it either. I was about to rip my heart out by the end.**

**Haha well this is the second-to-last chapter! The next one'll be really short because it's the epilogue!**

**THANK YOU for all the favorites and follows!**

**NotCrazyJustWeird97: HAHAH Your review though... Lol what's so funny is I almost shipped her with Dean but then I was like "..Naahhhh let's do Cas" XD Thank you so much, your reviews are the best (:**

**keacdragon: Thank you! (:**


	11. Epilogue

**Well I guess this it... )': Excuse me while I cry... Enjoy!**

* * *

Epilogue

2 Weeks Later

"I'm not so sure leaving is the best idea," Dean stated, clearly hesitant.

Danielle shot him one of the sad, exhausted smiles that had become her signature for the past few weeks. "I have to face the world eventually," she remarked quietly. "I mean, I have to put all this … funeral stuff together. I have responsibilities."

"We can take care of it," he promised, leaning in the doorway of Bobby's bedroom.

Danielle shook her head, gently setting the last few items in her suitcase. "One of these days I'm going to have to grow up," she argued, her eyes morose. "I guess today's as good a day as any."

His heart ached for the girl. She'd been so full of light, so almost-annoyingly optimistic about everything. She'd always thought the best of everything, even while staring straight at the worst. She'd been a child, innocent and naïve to even the human stuff, let alone the things that prowl around in the dark.

And Dean had been the one to force her into that position, to make her grow up. It was his fault that she could hardly look at someone with bursting into tears. He'd failed, like he always did. He'd failed her, and yet she still could look at him like he was some kind of hero. He shook his head bitterly.

She zipped up the pack, slinging it over her shoulder and heading down the stairs, Dean reluctantly following right behind. Sam and Bobby were hovering downstairs in the living room.

"You're really leaving?" Sam questioned. None of them had really believed her when she'd announced it; after all, this wasn't the first time she'd tried to go.

Danielle inhaled slowly through her nose, nodding. "I can't stay here forever," she muttered.

"Where ya gonna go?" Bobby asked.

"Home," she answered, turning her gaze towards her feet. "The house is kind of mine now so…"

"Danielle, we can't apologize enough-" Sam started.

Danielle waved her hand, pressing her lips together. She could feel the tears starting to rise up in her eyes, and she wasn't about to have it. She'd spent the last couple weeks doing nothing but crying, and she was so sick of it. "It's not your fault. There was nothing y'all could've done. Y'all did your best."

Dean shook his head, looking down at his feet. Danielle knew he didn't believe that; Dean blamed himself for her family's death, and there was no getting it through his thick head that it wasn't his fault. She'd tried, many times.

"I'll call you if I have any more crazy visions," Danielle promised.

Sam stepped forward, giving the girl a hug. All of the boys had grown attached; when she wasn't terrified or depressed, Danielle was fun to be around. She was light-hearted and would laugh at all of your jokes.

Danielle pretty much came up to Sam's belly button, but that didn't keep her from tightly hugging his waist. "Thank you," she mumbled, her voice muffled by his flannel shirt.

"Anytime," he retorted, letting her go and giving her a small smile.

Danielle's gaze slid over to Bobby, who pinned her with a look. "You ain't gettin' a hug from me," he retorted.

Danielle's lips flickered up into a smile. "If I wasn't depressed, I'd hug you anyways," she teased.

"Come on," Dean stated, putting his hand on her waist and turning her towards the door. "Leave the old coot alone."

Danielle got into the passenger seat of Dean's car – he was going to drive her to the bus stop – and set her bag in her lap.

"Now, I know you don't know me too well, but I'm telling you right now: I don't do goodbyes," Dean warned firmly before the car was even on. "So don't give me that teary farewell crap, alright?"

Danielle boasted a ghost of a smile. "Yes sir," she replied.

"Good." Dean shot her a smirk before pulling out of the junkyard.

They were pretty much quiet for the trip, other than a few questions from Dean about Danielle's plans. When Dean finally pulled up to the bus stop, he surprised Danielle by getting out too.

"What are you doin'?" she asked, furrowing her brow.

"Waiting for the bus, what's it look like?" He leaned against the hood of the Impala, hands deep in his jacket pockets.

Danielle came over beside him, hopping up on the hood. She crossed her legs, shivering slightly in the cold South Dakota winter. There was a couple on a bench who were too busy making out to pay the world any attention, and an old man leaned against a building.

"I've never been on a bus before," Danielle suddenly realized, turning her wide eyes on Dean. "What am I supposed to do?"

Dean chuckled. "Just get on. This one's headed south, so just stay on it 'til you get to Memphis or so."

Danielle let out a sigh of relief; she'd panicked for a second. "Oh, gosh. I'm not used to doin' stuff by myself."

"Clearly," Dean remarked. "Hey, you'll be fine."

"Maybe," she mumbled, pushing a stray hair behind her ears.

The bus rounded the corner, coming to a screeching stop with a magnificent backfire to signal its arrival. Danielle frowned at the bus, eyeing it like it was some giant rodent.

"It's a bus, princess, not a vampire."

"Those exist?" Danielle asked, her jaw dropping. "Like, in real life?"

Dean shook his head, smiling. "Get outta here, kid."

Danielle nodded, sliding off the hood. Dean stood up straight, handing her her suitcase. Danielle shouldered the pack, glancing back up at Dean. She remembered what he said, but decided she didn't care. She pulled him into a swift hug, mumbling a quick thank you and stepping away before he could see the tears gathered in the corners of her eyes. She headed towards the bus, pausing next to the stairs before glancing back at him.

"See ya around, princess!" Dean called.

"Bye, Dean." She shot him a genuine smile, albeit on the sad side, before climbing up on the bus.

It had been a hard couple of weeks. The days were a constant cycle of waking up, crying, eating, and sleeping. Except there wasn't much sleeping for her; she was starting to have nightmares. But Sam, Dean, and Bobby had always been there for her.

Danielle had tried her hardest to keep it together; she only cried when she was by herself. She tried to show to the boys that she was strong enough.

She knew it was only a matter of time before her whole world would be shattered again. But next time, she would be prepared.

Life would pick up where it left off, like the Winchesters had never happened. Like angels and demons and prophets were nothing but another one of Danielle's wild dreams. During the day, she might actually be able to believe that. But by the time the loneliness of night descended upon her, the gravity of her situation would actually hit her, taking her breath away and paralyzing her with fear in her bed.

But life would go on.

* * *

**Lol okay crying. Haha THANK YOU SO MUCH to everyone who kept up with the story and left so many positive reviews or just read! Y'all are so sweet (': **

**Don't worry; it won't be long til the next story is posted. I'm already more than halfway done with writing it, and I ****_cannot _****wait for y'all to read it too... Agh, the angst and cuteness and omg I can't (': And next story is really when the Cas x OC stuff kicks in (;**

**AyameArisato: Ahh, thank you! (:**

**Emilyrose475: I know AGGHHHH the angst is just too much! Hahaha thank you so much for all of your reviews! I appreciate them so much. (:  
**

**NotCrazyJustWeird97: Well, I'm glad I could make your morning ... Miserable. (; Hahaha XD Thank you so much for all of your reviews; you're the best! (:**

**keacdragon: UGH I KNOW. Don't even get me started... Freaking angels. Hahaha thank you for your reviews! (:**

**Carlypso: Thank you! (:**


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